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The  Redeemer, 


**Vie  have  not  followed  Cunningly  Devised  Fables,‘ 


HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

A CRITICAL  EXPOSITION 


OF  ALL 


THAT  IS 


Told  us  in  the  New  Testament  Narratives  Concerning  the 

Resurrection  and  Ascension  of  Jesus. 

AND  THE 

HOLY  LETTERS: 


His  Letters  to  the  Seven  Churches. 

BY 

HENRY  MARTYN  PAYNTER, 

, AUTHOR  OF 

The  Shadow  on  the  Hearth,  A Renovated  Earth,  Our  Duty 
IN  the  Present  Crisis,  Brief  History  op  the  War  in 
Missouri,  The  Holy  Life,  The  Holy  Supper, 

The  Holy  Sorrow,  The  Holy  Death 
and  The  Holy  Return. 

TENTH  EDITION. 


CHICAGO  ILL.: 
H.  M.  Paynter,  Jr. 


Copyrighted  by 
H.  PAYNTER. 
All  Rights  Reserved. 


Gallop  Bros.,  Printers,  115  S.  Halsted  St. 


-BOTOWS- 

Thomas  Mathesoh,  Esq., 

LIVE  It  FOOL,  ENGLAND, 

The  eminent  Ghristian  merchant  and  philanthropist,  and  the  tireless 
and  ^cient  worker  in  the  cause  of  J esus, 

m.0vu  is 

As  a token  of  high  esteem,  and  as  a remembrancer  of  both  the  many 
happy  hours  spent  by  his  cheerful  fireside,  and  of  the 
kindness  extended  during  an  evangelistic  tour 
in  Great  Britain. 

BY  THE  AUTHOB. 


THa  HOLY  HESURREOTION. 


5 


PREFACE. 


HE  devout  student  sees  harmonistic  difficulties 
in  the  narratives  of  the  Eesurrection,  which  fur- 
ther  investigations  may  remove,  but  which 
may  not  be  fully  cleared  up  this  side  ofHeaven. 
TliGj  lie  not  in  the  subject  itself,  but  in  the 
want  of  sufficient  information  upon  it.  But  the  great 
fact  stands  out  as  clear  as  the  sun,  and  immovable  in  its 
everlasting  repose;  Jesus  actually  arose  from  the  dead. 
The  honest  student  who  has  learning  sufficient  to  judge 
intelligently,  and  time  sufficient  to  go  through  all  that 
has  been  written  adversely  to  the  narratives,  or  to  the 
great  fact  they  give,  sees  that  the  difficulties  do  not  dis- 
turb the  integrity  of  the  narratives,  nor  the  reality  of 
the  fact  which  they  relate.  The  heaviest  assaults  have 
been  made  upon  John’s  Gospel.  But  it  remains  irre- 
fragable, and  its  testimony  is  conclusive. 

The  construction  of  a continuous  narrative,  that  will 
be  perfectly  accurate,  seems  impossible.  The  one  given 
in  this  work  is  the  result  of  very  careful  study,  and  is, 
1 hope,  not  far  from  correct.  Its  perusal  may  help  to 
show  more  distinctly  how  the  Conqueror  of  death  con- 
quered the  unbelief  of  His  disciples,  and  brought  out, 
and  completed,  their  faith.  It  may  also  give  us  live- 
lier impressions  of  the  infinite  excellencies  and  fulness 


6 


THE  HOLY  RESURKECTIOK. 


which  are  in  Jesus,  and  cannot  but  strengthen  our 
faith  in  the  glorious  fact, 

‘‘THE  LOED  IS  EISEN  INDEED.” 

It  would  be  tedious  to  mention  all  the  books  which 
I have  examined  in  my  investigations,  1 have  weighed 
carefully  the  arguments  of  hostile,  as  of  well  as  friendly, 
scholarship.  This  I have  done,  not  for  the  purpose  of 
combating  any  one,  but  to  see  whether  my  faith  in  the 
Kesurrection  was  futile,  or  was  based  upon  a solid  fact.  I 
have  also,  at  every  step,  examined  all  critical  works  that 
would  help  to  a clearer  understanding  of  the  original 
text,  and  I have  aimed  to  let  that  text  tell  its  own 
great  story.  For  all  the  help  which  I have  received 
from  the  great  scholars  who  have  gone  over  this  field, 
I gi’atefully  acknowledge  my  indebtedness. 

1 give  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  His  blessing 
which  has  attended  the  previous  publications  of  this 
series.  To  Him  I commend  this  book.  And  if  He  be 
graciously  pleased  to  use  it,  to  Him  be  all  the  glory, 
for  to  Him  it  belongs. 

A generous  public  will  permit  me  to  express  my 
grateful  recognition  of  the  favor  with  which  it  has  so 
kindly  received  the  books  already  out.  Each  one  has 
met  a hearty  welcome,  a ready  sale,  and  many  readers. 
And  many  an  expression  of  thanks  has  the  author  re- 
ceived for  the  instruction  and  comfort  which  the 
perusal  has  afforded.  May  this  one  have  a like  success 
with  the  former  ones,  and  be  alike  used  in  blessing. 

Chicago,  April,  1884.  H.  M.  Payntek. 


THE  HOLY  BESUKRECTION. 


7 


PRELIMIHARY  STUDY. 


On  What  Day  Did  Jesus  Arise? 

JFIE  question,  concerning  the  day  upon  which 
Jesus  was  crucified,  and  hence  the  day  upon 
which  He  arose  from  the  dead,  has  lately  been 
revived.  Some  of  those  agitating  it  are  acting 
in  the  interests  of  truth;  others  merely  to  create  a sen- 
sation; and  others,  still,  evidently  with  the  design  to 
throw  discredit  upon  the  sacred  Narratives,  and  thus 
weaken  the  hold  of  the  facts  upon  the  mind.  It  has 
been,  because  of  these  agitations,  very  strongly  urged 
upon  me,  by  gentlemen  of  high  character  and  position, 
to  give  the  results  of  my  own  studies  on  this  subject  in 
an  opening  section  of  this  work.  The  literature  upon 
the  subject  is  very  voluminous,  and  a review  of  it  I 
leave  to  other  and  abler  pens.  All  I propose  to  do  is 
to  bring  together,  in  one  view,  and  as  clearly  as  possi- 
ble, what  it  seems  to  me  the  sacred  pages  teach  upon 
the  various  questions  involved. 

The  following  facts  may  be  accepted  as  unquestion- 
able: (a)  that  Jesus  instituted  His  Supper  on  the  same 
night  in  which  He  was  betrayed;  (b)  that  He  was  cru- 


8 


THE  HOLT  RESUEBBCTIOH. 


cified  on  the  following  day;  (c)  that  the  whole  his- 
tory of  the  Slipper,  and  of  His  betrayal,  trials,  cruci- 
fixion, death  and  burial,  all  occurred  within  the  24  hours 
beginning  with  the  evening  of  His  institution  of  the 
Supper;  and  (d)  that  He  arose  the  first  day  of  the  week. 

In  the  Narratives  we  find  the  phrases,  “passover,” 
“feast”  and  “day  of  unleavened  bread.”  What?  our 
first  question  is,  is  the  import  of  these  terms,  as  to  the 
time  of  their  observance? 

1 —  ^An  examination  of  the  terms  in  the  O.  T.  show 
(a)  that  “to  kill  and  eat  the  passover,”  was  to  kill  and 
eat  the  paschal  lamb;  (Ex.  xii,  11;  Hum.  ix,  6;  2 
Chron.  XXX,  16);  and  (b)  that  the  term,  “passover,”  was 
used  to  embrace  the  other  sacrifices  offered  in  connection 
with  the  festival,  and  also  the  whole  festival  itself,  of 
unleavened  bread.  (Lev.  xxiii,  6;  Num.  ix,  3;  Deut. 
xvi,  1-3;  2 Chron.  xxx,  1, 13;  xxxv,  1-17.  And  further, 
(c)  the  terms,  “passover”  and  “festival  of  unleavened 
bread,”  are,  in  some,  passages,  expressly  distinguished 
(as  in  Lev.  xxiii,  5,  6;  Num.  xxviii,  16,  17,  where  the 
term,  “passover,”  is  limited  to  the  paschal  supper),  and 
in  other  places  are  used  interchangeably.  The  precise 
meaning  must  be  determined  by  the  context. 

2 —  On  the  first  day  of  the  “seven  days  of  unleavened 
bread,”  all  leaven  was  put  away  before  3 P.  M.  (Ex.  xii, 
15).  This  first  day  is  defined  in  Deut.  xvi,  4,  as  the 
day  on  which  the  lamb  was  sacrificed,  that  is,  14th 
Nisan.  (Ex.  xii,  6, 18-20.)  This  day  included,  thefesti. 
val  continued  eight  days.  (Jos.  Ant..^  2,  15,  1.) 

3 —  The  paschal  lamb  was  slain  “between  the  two 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


9 


evenings,”  i.  between  3 and  6 P.  M.,  on  the  14tli 
Nisan  (Abib,  in  the  Pentateuch):  ^^Te  shall  kill  it  (the 
lamb)  on  the  fourteenth  day  between  the  two  evenings” 
(Ex.  xii,  6) ; ^‘thou  shall  sacrifice  the  passover  at  even, 
at  the  going  down  of  the  sun.”  (Deut.  xvi,  6.) 

4 — Immediately  at  sunset  the  paschal  meal  was 
eaten:  ‘‘At  even  is  the  Lord’s  passover.”  (Lev.  xxiii,  5. 
“Between  the  two  evenings  ye  shall  keep  it  in  His 
appointed  seasons.”  (Hum.  ix,  3;  see  also  Ex.  xii,  8-10.) 

6 — “In  the  14th  of  the  first  month,  at  even,  is  the 
Lord’s  passover.  And  on  the  16th  of  the  same  month 
is  the  festival  of  unleavened  bread.!  Seven  days  ye 
must  eat  unleavened  bread.  In  the  first  day  (i.  e.y  of 
the  seven)  ye  shall  have  a holy  convocation : ye  shall  do 
no  servile  work.  And  on  the  seventh  day  ye  shall 
have  a holy  convocation:  ye  shall  do  no  servile  work.” 
(Lev.  xxiii,  5-7;  Num.  xxviv,  16-25;  see  also  Ex.  xii, 
15-17;  xiii,  6;  xxiii,  15;  xxxiv,  18;  Jos.  Ant.  3, 10, 16.) 
The  15th  Nisan  is  evidently  the  first  day  of  the  feast. 

6 —  The  Jews  reckoned  the  day  from  sunset  to  sunset. 
“The  evening  and  the  morning  was  day  one.”  Gen.  i; 
see  also  Lev.  xxiii,  32.)  As  the  passover  had  to  be 
killed,  and  then  eaten  on  the  14th  Hisan,  it  must  have 
been  at  the  close  of  that  day.  For  if  eaten  at  the  open- 
ing of  it,  the  lamb  must  have  been  slain  on  the  13th, 
but  the  statute  required  it  to  be  killed  on  the  14th  day 
of  the  month.  Clearly,  the  paschal  meal  was  eaten  at 
the  close  of  the  14th  and  the  opening  of  the  15th 
Nisan,  with  which  the  first  day  of  the  festival  began. 

7 —  This  day,  which  began  ^t  sunset  pf  the  14th,  was 


X THE  HOLY  RESUEKECTION. 

the  first  day  of  Tieortee^  the  festival  (^^  e.^  annual  fes- 
tive commemoration,)  of  unleavened  bread.  And  this 
festival  began  at  the  very  time  of  eating  the  paschal 
meal.  (Ex.  xii,  18.)  From  the  even  of  the  14th  until 
the  21st  day  it  continued. 

8 — The  paschal  was  the  introductory  meal  of  the 
seven  days’  festival.  Josephus  calls  the  14th  Nisan 
‘^the  first  day  of  the  festival  of  unleavened  bread.”  (B.  I. 
6.  3.  1.)  And  the  whole  festival  was  so  called,  because 
unleavened  bread  only  could  be  used.  The  subjoined 
table  (see  next  page)  may  help  the  reader  to  a clearer 
understanding  of  the  subject. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  N.  T.  narratives.  All  state 
expressly  that  Jesus  arose  during  the  first  day  of  the 
week;  that  is,  some  time  after  the  sunset  of  the  seventh 
day,  the  close  of  the  Sabbath,  and  the  following  morn- 
ing, Two  incidents  are  mentioned  as  occurring  be- 
tween His  burial  and  resurrection;  (a)  certain  women, 
when  the  Sabbath  had  passed,  i.  e.,  after  sunset  of  Sat- 
urday, or  the  seventh  day,  bought  spices  to  anoint  the 
body.  (Mark  xvi,  1);  and  (b)  certain  chief  priests  and 
Pharisees,  either  during  or  after  the  close  of  the  Sab- 
bath, obtained  from  Pilate  a guard  to  watch  Jesus’ 
tomb.  (Matt,  xxvii,  62.)  The  time  when  they  made 
the  request  is  called,  by  Matthew,  ^‘the  morrow  after 
teen  parasTceueenP  This  word  signifies  preparation, 
(2  Macc.  XV,  21,  Sept^  Matthew  (here)  and  John 
(xix,  31)  use  it  without  any  adjunct,  ‘‘the  preparation.” 
And  John  (xix,  42)  calls  it  “the  preparation  of,”  i,  ^.,  one 
belonging  to,  “tbe  Jew§,”  Luke  (xxiii,  54)  defines  it  by 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


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xii  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

day,  the  day  was  ^^preparation  day.”  In  all  the  six  places 
where  it  is  found,  it  is  used  of  a particular  day  upon 
which  preparation  was  made  for  some  particular  observ- 
ance. In  John  xix,  14,  it  is  jparasheuee  ton  jpascha^ 
it  was  the  preparation  of  the  passover.”  This  appar- 
ently indicates  that  it  was  the  day  preceding  the  pass- 
over,  i.  e,^  13th  Nisan.  And  this  impression  is  strength- 
ened by  the  phrase  which  refers  to  the  same  time,  (John 
xviii,  28,)  “ lest  they  should  be  defiled,  but  that  they 
might  eat  the  passover.”  To  know  the  import  of  the 
first,  we  must  try  and  find  out  what  ideas  John  intends 
to  convey  by  the  second,  phrase. 

The  phrase.  Kina  jphagoosi  to  pascha^  that  they 
might  eat  the  passover^  if  taken  here  in  its  restricted 
sense,  must,  like' the  equivalent  phrases  in  Matt,  xxvij 
17 ; Mark  xiv,  12;  Luke  xxiii,  8,  16,  be  limited  to  the 
paschal  meal. 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  term,  ^^passover,”  is 
used  in  the  O.  T.  in  a restricted  sense,  of  the  paschal 
meal,  and  in  a wider  one,  of  the  whole  festival,  embrac- 
ing all  the  solemnities  connected  with  the  seven  days. 
It  is  used  in  the  Synoptists  in  the  same  way:  in  the 
restricted,  in  Matt,  xxvi,  18,  19;  Luke  xxii,  8,  15; 
and  in  the  wider,  in  Matt,  xxvi,  2;  Luke  xxii,  1,  2,  41, 
comp.  vs.  43.  In  which  sense  does  John  use  it? 

When  the  Synoptists  wrote  their  narratives,  Jerusalem 
was  still  standing,  and  all  the  passover  solemnities  were 
being  observed ; and  hence,  those  writers  spoke  of  both 
the  whole  festival  and  of  its  component  parts.  But  when 
John  wrote  his  Gospel,  Jerusalem  and  its  Temple  were 


THE  HOLY  EESURRECTION.  xili 

in  ruins,  and  the  passover  could  not  be  fully  observed. 
To  him  all  its  significance,  because  fulfilled  in  Christ, 
had  passed  away.  He,  ‘^our  Passover,  had  been  slain  for 
us and  His  Supper  had  taken  the  place  of  it,  and  had 
become  the  true  paschal  meal.  The  Jews,  whose  deadly 
hostility  to  Jesus  and  His  people  still  continued,  were 
to  him  simply  ^^the  Jews,”  and  their  festivals,  ‘‘festivals 
of  the  Jews.”  He  speaks  of  them  by  this  general  term, 
without — unless  some  special  feature  had  some  special 
reference  to  Jesus’  action,  as  in  John  vii,  37 — designa- 
ting the  particulars.  This  fact  is  apparent  in  all  his 
allusions  to  the  festivals  (v,  1;  vii,  2,  8, 10,  11,  14),  and 
to  the  passover — which  term  he  always  uses  in  its  largest 
sense  as  embracing  the  whole  festival,  whether  men- 
tioned, or  not,  by  name,  (ii,  13,  23;  vi,  4;  xi,  56;  xii,  1; 
xiii,  1,)  or  simply  called  “the  feast.”  (iv,  45;  xi,  56; 
xii,  12,  20;  xiii,  29.)  Such  is  his  uniform  custom. 
Would  he,  then,  without  any  intimation  of  the  fact,  and 
without  giving  any  reason  for  the  same,  depart  here  from 
this  custom?  And  must  not  the  phrase,  en  to pascha^ 
in  xviii,  39,  be  used  in  its  wider  sense?  “You  have  a 
custom,”  said  Pilate,  “that  I release  one  unto  you 
at  {en^  in,  i.  e.j  during)  the  passover.”  This  could  not 
have  been  spoken  before  the  passover  began.  That  began 
the  14th  Nisan  at  even.  But  this  was  spoken  during 
the  following  morning,  and  since  during  the  passover? 
on  the  16th  Nisan.  And  does  not  this  fact  show  that 
John,  in  his  use  of  the  phrase,  “eat  the  passover,” 
(xviii,  28,)  follows  his  uniform  custom? 

The  reason  why  the  Jews  would  not  enter  into  the 


Xiv  THE  HOLY  BESURREOTIOK. 

hall  was, ‘‘lest  they  should  be  defiled,”  and  so  be  unfitted, 
“to  eat  the  passover.”  But  (a)  the  defilement  which  would 
hinder  from  the  paschal  meal,  would  equally  hinder 
from  the  succeeding  parts  of  the  festival;  and  (b)  the 
time  of  this  action  was  proai^  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  the  paschal  meal  was  not  eaten  until  after 
sunset.  If,  therefore,  this  was  the  morning  before  the 
passover,  they  could  be  ceremonially  cleansed  before  the 
meal.  (Lightfoot,  in  loco,)  But  they  could  not  be,  if 
they  had  eaten  it  the  evening  before — for  that  would 
be  a defilement  of  the  festival  then  in  continuance,  and 
this  would  have  kept  them  excluded  from  it  during 
the  remaining  days  of  the  festival. 

Do  not  these  considerations  make  it  clear  that  John, 
in  the  phrase,  “eat  the  passover,”  uses  the  term  in  the 
general  sense  of  the  whole  festival?  This  leaves  the 
question  as  to  whether  the  paschal  meal  had  been  eaten, 
to  be  settled  by  other  considerations,  such  as  by  (b) 
above,  and  by  the  import  of  the  phrase,  “preparation 
of  the  passover.” 

What,  then,  was  “the  preparation,”  which  belonged 
to  the  passover?  Does  it  indicate  the  time  when  the 
preparations  were  made  for  the  paschal  meal?  Then, 
since  it  is  evident  from  John’s  narrative  that  the  term 
embraces  the  earliest  hours  of  the  day,  and  so  must, 
from  the  Jewish  reckoning  of  time,  go  back  to  the  night 
before,  and  since  the  day  preceding  the  passover  was 
the  13th  Nisan,  it  follows  that  that  day  (13th  Nisan) 
was  the  day  of  Jesus’  death.  But  with  what  fact  in  the 
narrative  can  this  suggestion  be  made  to  agree?  Fur- 


THE  HOLY  KESURREOTION.  XV 

ther,  according  to  the  authority  of  Bochart  {Hieroz^ 
pg.  567),  Reland,  Tholuck  {in  loco\  Hengstenberg, 
{Dr,  Schaff^)  no  where,  in  either  the  O.  T.  or  Rabbini- 
cal writings,  is  there  any  mention  of  a preparation  day 
before  the  passover,  or  before  any  of  the  Jewish  festi- 
vals, save  the  Sabbath.  The  day  of  the  passover  was 
fixed  by  Divine  appointment  on  the  14th  Nisan.  This 
fact  was  universally  recognized.  The  observance  of  it 
by  the  pious  J ews  at  the  legal  time  would  be  a matter 
of  conscience.  If,  then,  John  uses  the  phrase,  ‘‘prep- 
aration of  the  passover,”  to  designate  the  time  before 
it,  he  uses  one  nowhere  else  found.  And  if  he  applies 
it  to  the  day  itself,  he  confuses  the  minds  of  his  read- 
ers, and  displaces  the  Divinely  given  name  for  one  of 
his  own. 

But  further,  he,  in  vs.  31  of  the  same  chapter,  speak- 
ing of  the  same  day,  says,  “ epei  (conjunction  of 
cause,  or  motive)  because^  paraslceuee  een^  it  was  the 
preparation^  and  in  order  that  the  bodies  should  not 
remain  upon  the  cross  on  the  Sabbath  day  (for  that 
Sabbath  day  was  an  high  day),  &c.  Here,  J ohn  declares 
“the  preparation”  to  be  essentially  connected  with  the 
Sabbath.  He  uses  the  same  words  precisely  as  those 
used  by  Mark  in  the  verse  where  he  gives  the  meaning 
oi  paraslceuee  (xv,  42),  and  he  assigns  it  as  a reason  for 
a certain  action  of  the  Jews,  as  Mark  does  for  a certain 
action  of  Joseph.  The  object  in  both  cases  had  respect 
to  the  Sabbath.  Naked  corpses  hanging  on  the  cross 
during  that  day  would  be  a defilement  of  its  sanctity. 
They  must  hence  be  taken  down  before  it  began.  Had 


XVI  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

this  been  “the  preparation  day”  of  the  passover,  it,  and 
not  the  Sabbath,  would  have  been  assigned  as  the 
motive  for  the  action  of  those  parties.  But  it  was  the 
Sabbath,  and  a high  or  double  Sabbath,  (because  falling 
in  the  festival  week,  and  being  the  second  day  of  holy 
convocation,  it  and  the  Sabbath  were  coincident),  and 
this  gave  additional  emphasis  to  the  request  of  the  Jews. 

It  is  too  large  a demand  upon  one’s  intelligence  to 
ask  him  to  believe  that  John  contradicted  himself 
within  a few  verses.  And  since  the  passover  and  the 
weekly  Sabbath  did  not,  that  year,  fall  upon  the  same 
day,  and  since,  in  vs.  31,  he  conveys  the  same  impres- 
sion of  the  day  as  that  given  in  the  Synoptists,  we  are 
bound  in  all  candor  to  believe  that  he,  in  vs.  14,  uses 
the  phrase,  ^^preparation  of  passover,”  as  conveying  an 
idea  perfectly  consistent  with  what  he  says  in  vs.  31, 
and  also  in  vs.  42,  where  manifestly  (from  the  close 
connection  of  vs.  42  with  xx,  1,)  it  continues  to  near 
the  close  of  the  sixth  day  of  the  week.  And  this  can 
only  be  the  paschal  preparation  day  for  the  Sabbath — 
so  the  sixth  day  of  the  week — or  that  preparation  for 
the  Sabbath  which  fell  in  the  paschal  week.  And  it 
would  be  perfectly  proper  for  him  to  designate  that 
part  of  the  feast  yet  remaining,  by  the  whole,  especially 
when  his  object  was  to  show  how  completely,  when 
they  should  have  been  engaged  in  their  holy  duties? 
they  gave  themselves  up  to  the  work  of  carrying  out 
their  wicked  designs.* 

[♦This  is  the  view  of  Olshausen,  Lange,  Norton,  Tholuck, 
Wieseler,  Andrews  {Life  of  Our  Lord).^ 


THE  HOLY  RESURKEOTION.  XVii 

T^o  mention  is  made  in  the  O.  T.  of  a ‘‘preparation 
day’’  for  the  Sabbath.  But  such  a day  is  mentioned  by 
Josephus,  who  says  that  it  began  at  the  ninth  hour  of 
the  sixth  day,  and  was  sanctioned  by  Imperial  authori- 
ty (^Ant,  16.  6.  2.),  by  the  Kabbins,  and  by  the  Synop- 
tists  (Matt,  xxvii,  62;  Luke  xxii,  64;  Mark  xv,  42): 
‘•that  day  was  the  preparation,  and  the  Sabbath  drew 
on,”  because  it  was  the  preparation,  that  is,  the  day 
before  the  Sabbath.  Mark  calls  this  “preparation  day” 
prosaibaton — a term  which  he  uses  to  explain  to  non- 
Jewish  readers  the  meaning  of  the  word,  proseukee: 

proseukee^  preparation  is  equivalent  to  prosahbaton^ 
tlie  fore  sabbath^  or  the  day  bet'ore  the  Sabbath.  And 
surely,  John  uses  the  term  in  the  same  way.  (xix,  14). 

The  connection  in  which  the  phrase  is  found  is  re- 
markable: “It  was  the  preparation  of  the  passover,  and 
about  the  sixth  hour.”  This  statement  is  made  in  con- 
nection with  Pilate’s  word,  “Behold  your  King!”  Why 
mention  these  two  things  together?  They  have  no  bear- 
ing upon  the  conduct  of  either  Pilate  or  Jesus.  They 
are  not  given,  as  is  the  former  phrase — “prep,  of  pass.” 
vs.  31 — as  a motive  for  the  action  of  the  Jews.  It  is 
a remark  of  John,  calling  attention  to  the  close  connec- 
tion between  these  two  facts  taken  together,  and  the 
Jews’  rejection  of  Jesus’  Kingship:  “Away  with  Him! 
Crucify  Him!  We  have  no  King  but  Osesar.”  There 
must  then  be  very  much  more  in  the  phrase,  “prep,  of 
pass.”  than  merely  the  getting  ready  for  its  celebration, 
provided  there  be  any  point  in  it  as  connected  with  the 
solemnity  of  the  crisis.  But  say  that  it  was  the  fore- 


XVJll  THE  HOLY  KESURBECTION. 

Sabbath  of  the  paschal  week,  then  the  passover  solem- 
nities were  going  on.  Then  it  was  about  the  hour 
when  the  peace-offerings  were  being  voluntarily  pre- 
sented. In  that  hour,  when  the  priests  should  have 
been  presenting  the  morning  sacrifices,  and  along  with 
them  the  offerings  voluntarily  presented  in  token  of 
deliverance  from  Egypt  (Ex.  xxiii,  15),  they  were  en- 
gaged in  the  awful  and  self- destructive  work  of  reject- 
ing their  King,  sent  to  them  from  heaven. 

These  are  all  the  places  where  the  word  is  found.  It 
seems  certain  that  in  them  all  it  refers  to  the  sixth  day  of 
the  week,  corresponding  to  our  Friday.  The*term  is  so 
rendered  in  the  Syriac  version,  and  is  the  name  by 
which  Friday  is  generally  known  in  Asia. 

Going  backward,  we  see  that  the  series  of  events 
from  the  time  of  Jesus’  death  to  His  betrayal,  and  from 
the  betrayal  to  the  institution  of  the  Supper,  is  a closely 
connected  one,  and  is  confined  within  twenty- four  hours. 
This  brings  us  to  the  sixth  day  of  the  J ewish  week,  our 
Thursday.  We  have,  in  connection  with  the  institu- 
tion of  the  Supper,  the  following  facts;  (a)  Mark’s 
historic  narrative,  ^^After  two  days  was  the  to  pascha, 
the  passover^  Tcai  ta  azuma^  and  the  unleavened  loaves, 
(xiv,  1.)  Matthew  gives  Jesus’  words  spoken  at  the 
time,  After  two  days  is  the  passover,  and  the  Son  of 
Man  is  betrayed  to  be  crucified.”  This  anticipation 
was,  at  that  very  time  passing  into  history.  The 
Sanhedrim’s  decision  not  to  take  Jesus  en  tee  heortee^ 
during  the  festival^  was  changed  by  Judas’  proffer  to 
deliver  Him  then,  if  possible.  On  the  morning  of  the 


THE  flOLf  KESTTRREOflON.  Xli 

day  when  they  met  at  this  table,  Jesus  asked  two  of 
His  disciples  to  ^^prepare  the  passover.”  And  when  the 
hour — surely  the  legal  one  for  its  observance — was  come, 
He  sat  down  with  the  twelve,  and  said,  ‘‘1  have  de- 
sired to  eat  this  passover  with  you  before  I suffer.” 

All  the  terms  used  point  to,  and  only  to,  the  passover 
and  its  accompanying  festival.  It  is  called  “the  pass- 
over  and  unleavened  bread,”  “the  first  day  of  unleav- 
ened bread  when  the  passover  must  be  killed,”  “the 
feast  of  the  passover”  (Matt,  xxvi,  2 ; Mark  xiv,  1 ; Luke 
xxii,  7 ; John  xiii,  1).  The  whole  festival  was  called 
‘‘the  days  of  unleavened  bread”  (Acts  xii,  3;  xx,  6),  and 
the  first  day  of  it  when  the  passover  must  be  killed  can  be 
only  the  close  of  the  14th,  and  the  opening  of  the  16th 
Hisan.  Now,  could  all  these  writers  have  had  no  more 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  passover  than  to  have  used 
these  terms  inaccurately?  Was  not  Jesus  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  every  fact  belonging  to  the  passover,  the 
leo;al  time  of  its  celebration  included?  Did  He  not  ob- 
serve  previous  ones  in  the  legal  time  and  way? 
Would  He  deviate  at  this  great  crisis  of  His  history? 
He  had  ever  obeyed  all  the  Divine  requirements ; would 
He  disregard  any  of  them  i^ow?  There  is  not  one  single 
fact  or  proof  furnished  by  any  writer  to  show  that  He 
delayed  the  observance  an  hour.  All  is  conjecture. 
And  though  some  able  scholars  have  supported  the 
idea  that  He  anticipated  it,  yet  the  objections  to  this  are 
too  weighty  to  allow  it  to  be  generally  received  by  those 
whose  only  dependence  for  knowledge  on  the  subject  is 
the  New  Testament  alone.  It  is  brought  forward  to 


iX  THE  HOLY  RESURREOTiOlC. 

remove  the  supposed  discrepancy  between  John  and 
the  Synoptists;  but  even  could  it  do  this  (which  it 
cannot),  it  would  do  so  at  the  expense  of  Jesus’  uniform 
conduct  towards  the  Divine  enactments,  and  of  His 
own  direct  statements  concerning  this  special  feast. 

Within  twenty-four  hours  of  this  sunset  Jesus  was 
in  the  tomb.  He  died  at  3 P.  M.  of  the  day  which 
began  at  the  previous  6 P.  M.  (generally).  The  twen- 
ty-four hours  beginning  at  3 P.  M.  lith  Nisan  (the 
time  of  the  beginning  of  the  two  evenings  during 
which  the  lamb  was  slain),  would  not  close  until  3 
P.  M.  15th  Nisan,  at  which  hour  He  died — thus  dying 
within  the  hours  of  the  true  legal  passover  day.  This 
well  agrees  with  Pilate’s  word,  spoken  before  12  M.  of 
that  day,  “1  release  one  unto  you  en  to  pascha^'^  in^  or 
during  the  passover^  i.  e.^  while  the  passover  festival 
was  going  on.  And,  further,  the  paschal  meal  and 
festival  began  really  at  the  opening  of  the  15th  Nisan, 
i,  ^.,  at  the  close  of  sunset  of  the  14th.  And  as  the 
preparations  for  both  meal  and  festival  were  made 
during  the  14th  Nisan,  it  was  called  the  first  day  of 
the  festival.  (Ex.  xii,  15,  19,  20.  Lightfoot,  Temjp.^ 
Ser.  xii,  § 1;  Peruchin^  i,  14;  Andrews’  Life  of  Our 
Lord^  pg.  434.)  This  popular  usage  appears  in  the 
Synoptists.  The  phrase,  ‘^prepare  for  Thee  to  eat  the 
passover,”  was  spoken  on  ‘^the  day  when  the  passover 
must  be  killed,”  and  on  ^^the  first  day  of  the  festival  of 
unleavened  bread.” 

The  conclusion  to  which  all  these  facts  bring  the 
mind  is  that  John  and  the  Synoptists  agree  as  to  the 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION, 


xxi 


time,  and  that  the  Synoptists  intend  to  tell  us  that 
Jesus  observed,  at  this  time,  as  always,  the  passover  at 
the  regular  time  and  in  the  regular  way.  And  this 
was  the  only  course  consistent  with  B.is  uniform  cus- 
tom, and  with  His  avowed  purpose  to  fulfill  the  law.* 
His  death,  hence,  occurred  on  the  16th  Nisan,  but 
within  the  twenty-four  hours,  commencing  3 P,  M.  on 
the  14th,  The  paschal  lamb  was  slain  at  the  begin- 
ning, Jesus,  the  true  Passover,  during  the  continuance, 
and  died  at  the  close  of,  these  twenty-four  hours.** 

The  following  table  (see  next  page)  presents  the  sub- 
ject in  one  view. 

One  question  remains.  How  do  these  computations 
of  time  accord  with  the  words  of  Jesus,  in  Matt,  xii,  40: 
'‘The  Son  of  Man  shall  be  three  days  and  three  nights 


[*The  remark  in  Ex.  xii,  22,  “No  one  go  out  of  the  house  un- 
cil  the  morning,”  referred  only  to  the  night  of  its  first  observance, 
for  which  a special  reason  was  given.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
O.  T.,  nor  in  Jewish  writings,  to  show  that  it  was  ever  regarded 
as  an  essential  feature  of  the  feast.  See  Otho’s  Lex.  Art.  Pascha.^ 
[**It  may  be  added  that  the  Jews  had  repeatedly  attempted  to 
seize  Jesus  on  Sabbaths,  or  festival  days.  See  Luke  iv,  26-29;  John 
vii,  30,  32  (see  vs.  14),  37,  44,  45;  x,  22,  39.] 

On  the  supposition  that  this  was  the  14th  Nisan,  the  disciples’ 
conjectures  as  to  the  reason  for  Judas’  sudden  departure  are 
easily  explained.  (John  xiii,28.)  Preparation  of  food  was  allowed 
on  the  15th  Nisan  (Ex.  xii,  16),  and  the  purchase  of  it  as  well,  un- 
der certain  restrictions.  (Tholuck,  in  loco;  Wiesler,  Ghron.^  3,  44, 
366;  Luthardt,  in  loco^  ii,  286.  Mishna.)  Had  this  been  the  evening 
of  the  13th  Nisan,  no  necessity  to  go  out  to  buy  provisions,  for  he 
had  the  whole  day  before  him,  and,  for  the  same  reason,  he  was  not 
likely  to  seek  the  poor  at  that  hour  of  the  night.  But  in  the 
paschal  night,  when  the  great  Temple  gates  were  opened  at  mid- 
night, to  begin  early  preparations  for  the  offerings  of  Chagigah 
which  were  not  voluntary,  but  due,  it  was  quite  natural  to  suppose 
that  Judas  was  going  to  make  such  preparation.  And  equally  to 
suppose  that  he  was  going  to  give  something  to  the  poor,  gathered 
tj^round  the  Temple  to  seek  help  from  the  charitable.  (Side  rshiem  ) 


XXll 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


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THE  HOLY  KESURRECTION, 


xxiii 


in  irfie  heart  of  the  earth?”  The  present  discussion 
is  not  concerned  with  the  meaning  of  the  phrase, “heart  of 
the  earth:”  which  more  probably  means  the  grave — as 
analogous  to  J onali’s  living  sepulchre,  which  he  calls  “the 
belly  of  Hades,”  J on.ii,  2,  Heh.^  than  Hades : but  with  the 
time.  What  are  we  to  understand  by  “the  three  days 
and  three  nights?”  Plainly,  they  must  agree  with 
Jesus’  own  later  words,  elsewhere  spoken,  concerning 
the  same  fact.  He  says  (John  ii,  19),  “in  three  days  I 
will  raise  it  {i.  e.,  his  body)  up.”  “After  three  days  I 
will  rise  again,”  (Mark  viii,  31);  “be  raised  the  third 
day”  (Matt,  xvi,  31;  Luke  ix,  22);  “the  third  day 
shall  rise  again”  (Matt,  xvii,  23;  xx,  19;  Maik  x,  34). 
These  words  were  spoken  before  His  death,  and  in  all 
His  later  utterances  the  word  is,  “the  third  day.”  And 
that  the  impression  left  upon  the  mind  was  resurrec- 
tion, not  after  three  full  days,  but  in  or  after  the  third 
day,  is  evident  from  the  remark  of  His  enemies  on  the 
day  after  His  death:  “He  said,  after  three  days  I will 
rise  again;”  and  that  of  His  friends  on  the  day  of  His 
resurrection : “ It  is  now  in  the  third  day  since  these 
things  were  done”  (Luke  xxiv,  21,  Grk).  This,  also,  is 
the  interpretation  of  His  words  given  by  the  angel  to 
the  women  at  the  tomb,  “the  third  day  rise  again,”  and 
by  Himself  to  His  disciples,  “rise  from  the  dead  the 
third  day”  (Luke  xxiv,  7,  46).  And  both  Peter  and 
Paul  declared  that  “He  arose  the  third  day.”  (Actsx,  20; 
1 Cor.  XV,  4.)  There  can  be  no  doubt,  after  the  exam- 
ation  of  all  these  passages,  that  Jesus  intended  to  arise, 
and  arose  in,  or  during,  the  third  day;  and  that  He 


XXIV 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


Himself  regarded  His  resurrection  on  that  morning 
as  being  on  the  third  day;  and  that  the  angel  speaking 
on  that  morning  recalled,  as  then  fulfilled,  His  own 
words,  “after  three  days  rise  again.’^  Friday,  the  day 
of  His  death,  w^as  one  day.  From  6 F.  M.  of  that  day 
to  6 P.  M.  of  Saturday  was  two  days,  and  from  6 P.  M. 
Saturday  to  6 P.  M.  of  the  first  day  of  the  week  was 
three  days.  And  this  computation  was  in  exact  accord 
with  the  Jewish  mode  of  reckoning:  “a  day  and  night 
together  make  up  a nuchtheemeron^  a night-day^  and 
any  part  of  such  period  is  counted  as  the  whole.” 
(Jerusalem  Talmud.  See  also  Gen.  xl,  13,  20;  1 Sam. 
XXX,  12,  18;  2 Chron.  x,  5,  12;  Hos.  vi,  2.) 


THE  HOLY  HESUEBEOTION, 


25 


PROLOGUE. 


HE  story  of  Jesus’  resurrection  is  one  of  exquis- 
ite pathos  and  beauty,  and  of  the  highest  impor- 
tance. The  fact  was  God’s  open  declaration  of 
J esus’  Divine  Sonship,  and  His  seal  of  approba- 
tion upon  all  that  He  had  suffered,  done  and 
said.  It  is  for  man  a most  elevating  fact  and  a Divine 
assurance  that  he  can  safely  commit  all  his  interests 
into  Jesus’  hands.  It  is  a study  worthy  of  our  most 
careful  and  prayerful  thought.  And  if  this  be  given 
we  will  find,  in  the  rich  fruitage  which  it  brings,  an 
ample  payment  for  the  time  and  labor  bestowed. 

Section  I. 

Facts  Occurring  on  the  Morning  of  Jesus' 
Resurrection. 

Matt,  xxviii,  1-15;  Mark  xvi,  1-11;  Luke  xxiv,  1-12;  John  xx,  1-18. 

And  the  women  also  which  came  with  Him  from 
Galilee ....  beheld  the  sepulchre,  and  how  the  body 
was  laid.  And  they  returned,  and  prepared  spices  and 
ointments;  and  rested  the  Sabbath  day,  Jewish^  accord- 
ing to  the  commandment. 

And  when  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  i,  ^.,  Saturday  e^)en~ 
ing^  April  A.  D.  30,  after  6 P.  was  past, 
Alary  Magdalene,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James,  and 


26 


THS  HOLr  KESUBBE0T1017. 


Salome,  bought  sweet  spices,  that  they  might  come 
and  anoint  Him. 

And  in  the  end  of  the  {Jewish)  Sabbath,  very  early 
in  the  morning,  while  it  was  yet  dark,  as  it  began  to 
dawn  towards  the  first  day  of  the  week — i.  e.j  LorJs 
Day^  April  9th^  A,  D.  30 — came  Mary  Magdalene,  and 
the  other  Mary,  the  mother  of  James,  and  Salome,  and 
Joanna,  and  certain  other  women  with  them,  to  see  the 
sepulchre,  bringing  the  spices  with  them.  And  they 
said  among  themselves,  who  shall  roll  us  away  the 
stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre? 

And  behold  there  was  a great  earthquake:  for  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from  heaven,  and  came 
and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door,  and  sat  upon 
it.  His  countenance  was  like  lightning,  and  his  rai- 
ment white  as  snow.  And  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers 
did  shake,  and  become  as  dead  men. 

And  they,  the  women^  came  to  the  sepulchre  at  the 
rising  of  the  sun.  And  they  found,  when  they  looked, 
— they  saw — that  the  stone  was  rolled  away,  for  it  was 
very  great. 

Then  she,  Mary  Magdalene^  when  she  seeth  the 
stone  taken  away  from  the  sepulchre,  runneth,  and 
cometh  to  Simon  Peter,  and  to  the  other  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved,  and  saith  unto  them.  They  have  taken 
away  the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and  we  know  not 
where  they  have  laid  Him. 

And  they,  the  other  women^  entered  into  the  sepul- 
chre, and  found  not  the  body  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  as  they  were  much  perplexed  there- 
about, behold,  two  men  in  shining  garments,  were  sud- 
denly present.  {Greek.)  One  ^ them^  a young  man, 
they  saw  sitting  on  the  right  side,  clothed  in  a long 
white  garment.  And  they  were  affrighted,  and  bowed 
down  their  faces  to  the  earth.  And  the  one  angel,  or 


THE  HOLY  KESURRECTION. 


27 


hoth^  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Be  not  afirighted: 
fear  not  ye,  for  I know  that  ye  seek  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
which  was  crucified.  Why  seek  ye  the  living  among 
the  dead?  He  is  not  here:  for  He  is  risen,  as  He  said. 
Come,  see  the  place  where  they  laid  Him — where  the 
Lord  lay.  Remember  how  He  spake  unto  you  when 
He  was  yet  in  Galilee,  (Matt,  xvi,  21;  xvii,  23;  Mark 
viii,  31;  ix,  31;  Luke  ix,  22;  John  ii,  22,)  saying, 
The  Son  of  Man  must  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of 
sinful  men,  and  be  crucified,  and  the  third  day  rise 
again:  (and  they  remembered  His  words:)  and  go 
your  way  quickly,  and  tell  His  disciples,  and  Peter, 
that  He  is  risen  from  the  dead,  and  behold,  He  goeth 
before  you  into  Galilee:  there  shall  ye  see  Him,  as  He 
said  unto  you:  lo,  I have  told  you. 

And  they  went  out  quickly  from  the  sepulchre,  with 
fear  and  great  joy ; and  they  fied  from  the  sepulchre, 
for  they  trembled,  and  were  amazed,  and  did  run  to 
bring  His  disciples  word,  neither  said  they  anything  to 
any  man;  for  they  were  afraid. 

Now  when  they  were  going,  behold  some  of  the 
watch  came  into  the  city,  and  showed  unto  the  chief 
priests  all  the  things  that  were  done.  And  when  they 
were  assembled  with  the  elders,  and  had  taken  counsel, 
they  gave  large  money  unto  the  soldiers,  saying.  Say 
ye  His  disciples  came  by  night,  and  stole  Him  away 
while  we  slept.  And  if  this  come  to  the  governor’s 
ears,  we  will  persuade  him,  and  secure  you.  So  they 
took  the  money,  and  did  as  they  were  taught:  and  this 
saying  is  commonly  reported  among  the  Jews  until 
this  day. 

Meanwhile^  because  of  what  Mary  Magdalene  had 
saidj  Peter,  therefore  arose,  and  went  forth,  and  that 
other  disciple,  and  ran — came — to  the  sepulchre.  So  they 
ran  both  together:  and  the  other  disciple  did  outrun 


28 


TOE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


Peter,  and  came  first  to  the  sepulchre.  And  lie  stoop- 
ing down,  and  looking  in,  saw  the  linen  clo'hes  lying, 
yet  went  he  not  in.  Then  coineth  Simon  Peter  follow- 
ing him,  and  stooping  down  he  beheld  the  linen  clothes 
laid  by  themselves.  And  he  went  into  the  sjj  ulchre, 
and  seeth  the  linen  clothes  lie,  and  the  iiapk.n  that  was 
about  His  head,  not  lying  with  the  linea  cle-t’-es,  but 
wrapped  together  in  a place  by  itself.  Then  went  in 
also  that  other  disciple  which  came  first  to  the  sepul- 
chre, and  he  saw,  and  believed.  For  as  yet  they  knew 
not  the  Scripture,  that  He  must  rise  again  from  the 
dead.  Then  the  disciples  went  away  again  unto  their 
own  home — Peter  departed,  wondering  in  himself  at 
that  which  was  come  to  pass. 

Jesus’  First  Appearance. 

But  Mary,  who  had  followed  the  two  from  the  city 
remained^  and  stood  without  the  sepulchre  weeping: 
and  as  she  wept  she  stooped  down  and  looked  into  the 
sepulchre,  and  seeth  two  angels  in  white,  sitting,  the 
one  at  the  head,  and  the  other  at  the  feet,  where  the 
Body  of  Jesus  had  lain.  And  they  say  unto  her. 
Woman,  why  weepest  thou?  She  saith  unto  them,  be- 
cause they  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  1 know  not 
where  they  have  laid  Him.  And  when  she  had  thus 
said,  she  turned  herself  back,  and  saw  Jesus  standing, 
and  knew  not  that  it  was  Jes\is.  Jesus  saith  unto  her. 
Woman,  why  weepest  thou?  Whom  seekest  thou?  She, 
supposing  Him  to  be  the  gardener,  saith  unto  Him, 
Sir,  if  thou  have  borne  Him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou 
hast  laid  Him,  and  I will  take  Him  away.  Jesus  saith 
unto  her,  Mary.  She  turned  herself,  and  saith  unto 
Him,  liabboni,  which  is  to  say.  Master.  Jesus  saith 
unto  her,  Touch  me  not:  for  1 am  not  yet  a cended  to 
my  Father:  but  go  to  my  brethren,  and  say  unto  them. 


HOLY  HESURRfiCtlON. 


29 


I ascend  unto  my  Father  and  your  Father,  and  to  my 
God  and  your  God. 

Thus  it  was  that  when  Jesus  was  risen  early  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  He  appeared  first  to  Mary  Magdalene, 
out  of  whom  He  had  cast  seven  demons. 

Jesus’  Second  Appearance. 

And  as  they,  the  other  women^  went  to  tell  His  dis- 
ciples, behold,  Jesus  met  them,  saying.  All  hail.  And 
they  came,  and  held  Him  by  the  feet,  and  worshipped 
Him.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them.  Be  not  afraid;  go 
tell  my  brethren,  that  they  go  into  Galilee,  and  there 
shall  they  see  me. 

And  they  returned  from  the  sepulchre,  and  told  all 
these  things  unto  the  eleven,  and  to  all  the  rest.  It 
was — Mary  Magdalene  and — Joanna,  and  Mary  the 
mother  of  James,  and  other  women  that  were  with 
them,  which  told  these  things  unto  the  apostles.  And 
their  words  seemed  to  them  as  idle  tales,  and  they  be- 
lieved them  not. 

And  she — Mary  Magdalene — went — came — and  told 
the  disciples — them  that  had  been  with  Him,  as  they 
mourned  and  wept,  that  she  had  seen  the  Lord,  and 
that  He  had  spoken  these  things  unto  her.  And  they, 
when  they  had  heard  that  He  was  alive,  and  had  been 
seen  of  her,  believed  not. 

All  the  writers  state  that  Jesus  died  on  the  ‘‘day  of 
preparation.’^  That,  as  we  have  already  seen,  was 
the  day  before  the  Sabbath,  answering  to  our  Friday. 
And  the  great  majority  of  able  critics*  have  reached 
the  conclusion,  after  the  most  thorough  investiga- 
tions, critical,  historical  and  astronomical,  that  this 
day  was  April  7th,  A.  D.  30.  Jesus  was  buried 


[* Winer,  Wieseler,  Capri,  Godet,  Pressense,  &c.] 


30 


THE  HOLY  HESHKHEOTION. 


opsios  genomenees^  late  in  the  evening.  The  Hebre\V8, 
like  the  Greeks,  had  “two  evenings.”  (Ex.  xii,  6.)  The 
first  one,  called  by  the  Greeks,  delia  prooia^  the  little 
evening^  began  at  the  9th  hour,  i.  e.  3 P.  M.,  and  the 
second  one  delia  opsia^  real  sunset^  began,  at  this  sea- 
son, about  6 P.  M.  (Jos.  B.  J,  6,  9,  3.)  Opsia^  opsia 
hora  was  also  the  name  of  the  first  of  the  four  watches 
into  which  the  night  was  divided,  and  extended  from 
the  close  of  the  second  evening  to  9 P.  M.  And  a 
comparison  of  all  the  other  places  where  it  is  found: 
(Matt,  viii,  16;  xiv,  15,  23;  xvi,  2;  xx,  8;  xxvi,  20; 
Mark  i,  32;  iv,  35;  vi,  47;  xi,  11;  xiv,  17 ; John  vi, 
16;  XX,  19,)  in  all  of  which,  (except  Mark  xi,  11,  and 
John  XX,  19,  which  have  ousees^  and  John  vi,  16,  which 
has  egenetOj)  it  has  genomenees:  with  these  in  Matt, 
xxvii,  57,  and  Mark  xv,  42,  which  latter  has  hedee^ 
now  already,^  shows  that  the“second  evening”  was  rapidly 
approaching  when  Joseph  began  his  labor  of  love. 

With  the  close  of  this  day  the  Sabbath,  which  con- 
tinued from  sunset  to  sunset  (Lev.  xxiii,  32),  began. 
During  its  sacred  hours  the  disciples  rested  according 
to  the  commandment.  And  diagenomenou  ton  sahha- 
touj  the  Sabbath  having  passed^  being  completely  end- 
ed— this  is  the  force  of  the  second  aorist — (the  verb  is 
used  in  the  N.  T,  only  of  time),  i.  ^.,  after  sunset  of 
our  Saturday  evening — Mary  Magdalene,  Mary,  the 
mother  of  J ames,  and  Salome  eegorasan  (first  aorist), 
bought  — not  “had  bought”  E.  V. — sweet  spices.  Some 
of  the  women  had  returned  from  the  sepulchre  early 
enough  on  Friday  evening  to  prepare  spices  and  oint- 


Tim  HOLY  RLSUHRECTlOiT. 


31 


ments  before  the  Sabbath  began:  but,  perhaps,  be- 
cause lingering  too  long  at  the  tomb,  or  too  much  ab- 
sorbed in  grief,tlierehad  not  made  their  piircliases  before 
the  Sabbath  began.  This  they  now  did,  and  were  ready 
to  go  with  the  other  women  early  in  tlie  morning  to 
anoint  the  body  of  Jesus.  These  women  certainly  did 
not  anticipate  any  resurrection. 

This  morning  is  called,  by  all  the  writers,  mia  toon 
sahhatoon^  one  of  the  week.  The  word  sahbatoon^ 
after  numerals,  marked  the  days  of  the  week,  which,  in 
the  Talmuds,  are  written:  the  first,  second,  &c.,  day  in 
the  Sabbath  i,  e.^  (week).  (Lightfoot,  Hot,  Ilei.^  Matt, 
xxviii,  1.)  And  Luke’s  dis  ton  sabhatou  (xviii,  12), 
shows  the  same  use  of  the  word.  But  this  is  the  first 
time  that  the  phrase,  mia  sabbatoon^  is  found  in  the 
N.  T.  And  its  use  by  all  the  evangelists  here,  and 
also  its  use  in  Acts  xx,  7,  and  1 Cor.  xvi,  2,  indicates 
that  it  was  invested  with  a new  and  peculiar  sigiiifi- 
cancy.  This  seems  to  be  specially  marked  in  Maik’s 
change  of  phraseology,  from  mias  sabbatoon^  (in  vs.  2,) 
where  he  follows  the  Jewish  custom,  to  protee  sabbatou, 
the  first  Sabbath  of  all,  (in  vs.  9) — a new  Sabbath 
day,  plainly  indicating  that  this  is  the  first  day  of  a 
renewed  week,  a new  beginning  of  time.  And,  hence- 
forth, the  phrase,  mia  sabbatoon^  is  used  in  the  N,  T. 
to  designate  that  day,  which  is  called,  In  Bev.  i,  7, 
‘‘the  Lord’s  Bay.” 

This  day  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Sabbath. 
The  Scriptures  furnish  not  the  slightest  ground  to 
wan  ant  the  idea  that  that  day  has  been  abrogated,  or 


32 


ME  HOLY  RESUBRECTION. 


its  observance  changed  from  the  seventh  to  the  first 
day  of  the  week.  It  remains  firm  in  the  place  in  which 
God  originally  put  it.  And  when  Jesus  comes  again — 
so  prophecy  proclaims — it  will  again  be  observed  as 
originally  designed.  That  day  belongs  to  the  old,  the 
“first  day’’  to  the  new,  creation,  and  new  order  of  things. 
This  day  is  the  first  of  that  creation,  because  it  is  the 
day  of  Jesus’  resurrection — the  beginning  of  ascension, 
and  of  the  descent  of  The  Spirit  also,  and  formation  of 
the  Christian  Church.  The  memory  of  God’s  rest-day 
must  ever  be  to  the  devout  believer  most  precious,  and 
the  sacredness  of  one-seventh  portion  of  time  be  ever 
regarded  by  him.  And  it  is  from  no  disregard  of  that 
day  that  he  regards  this.  But  this  day  is  associated  with 
his  redemption.  It  is  embalmed  in  his  sweetest  and 
tenderest  associations  and  memories.  He,  as  did  the 
apostles  and  early  church,  lovingly  and  sacredly  observes 
it  holy  unto  the  Lord. 

The  point  of  time  when  the  women  started  upon 
their  errand  of  love  is  variously  described.  Matthew 
says  (xxviii,  1),  ojpse  de  sabbatoon  tee  epiphooshousee 
eis  mian  sabbatoon.  Opse  is  an  adverb  of  time.  It 
has,  in  classical  writings,  two  significations;  (a)  “late:” 
opse  heelikias^  late  in  life;  opse  tees  heemeras^  late  in 
the  day — and  this  is  the  meaning  in  Mark  xi,  19,  20; 
xiii,  35;  (b)  with  the  genitive  after,  opse  toutoon^ 
after  them^  opse  musterioon^  after  the  mysteries- 
(Wetstein,  in  loco.)  It  is  connected  with  the  genitive, 
sabbatoon^  in  this  place,  and  according  to  classical 
usage,  signifies  “after” — not  in  the  end  of  (E.  V.)  but— 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


33 


<‘after  the  Sabbath.”  The  Sabbath,  which  ended  with 
the  sunset  of  our  Saturday,  had  fully  closed.  The 
opse  de  sab.  of  Matt.,  if  it  stood  alone,  might  indicate 
the  period  between  sunset  and,  say  the  close  of  business 
hours  on  Saturday.  That  would  be  equivalent  to 
Mark’s  ‘^the  Sabbath  being  past”  (xvi,  1).  But  it  is 
modified  by  tee  epiphooslcousee^  the  day  coming  on.  The 
verb  signifies  to  grow  light  upon,  to  dawn  upon.  It  is 
used  in  classical  Greek  to  express  the  coming  on  of 
day.  Luke  uses  this  word,  applied  to  the  natural  day, 
to  express  the  civil  day  of  the  Jews,  which  began  at 
sunset,  (xxiii,  54.)  Matthew  here  uses  it  in  its  proper 
sense.  The  Sabbath  had  so  long  passed  that  the  day 
was  beginning  to  break  eis^  towards^  mian  toon  sdbba- 
toon^  one  of  the  sabbath.^  the  first  of  the  week.  Mark  says, 
lian  prooi  tees  mias  sabbatoon.  Prooi  is  an  adverb  of 
time.  It  is  the  name  given  to  the  third  watch  of  the 
night*  (Jos.  Ant.  v,  6,  5;  Mark  xiii,  35);  and  also  to 
that  one  of  the  three  divisions  of  the  dawn,  which  in- 
cludes the  time  while  it  was  yet  dark,  but  when  one 
could  distinguish  blue  from  white.  The  lian^  very^ 
very  early shows  that  it  was  yet  dark,  though  about 
day-breaking.  This  agrees  with  Matthew’s  word,  and 
also  with  Luke’s  batheos  orthrou^  deep  twilight.  The 
two  words,  taken  together,  signify  the  time  at,  and 
immediately  after,  daybreak,  while  one  still  needs  a 


[*The  first  was  o'pna^  from  twilight  to  9 P.  M. ; the  second, 
mesonuhton^  midnight^  from  9 to  12  M. ; the  third,  alelctorphonia, 
cock-crowing^  from  12  to  3;  and  the  fourth,  prooi^  from  3 till 
daylight.! 


34: 


THE  HOLY  RESURKECTION. 


light:  and  this  is  in  harmony  also  with  John’s  prooiy 
sJcotias  eti  ouseeSy  early y it  being  yet  darh. 

In  that  latitude,  at  that  season  of  the  year,  the  first 
faint  streaks  of  light  appear  across  the  eastern  sky  be- 
fore 4 A.  M.  It  was,  therefore,  as  early  as  this  hour, 
on  this  morning,  when  certain  women,  who,  as  the  city 
gates  were  not  opened  until  after  daylight,  probably 
spent  the  night  outside  of  the  city,  started  towards 
the  garden  of  Joseph.  The  object  of  their  visit — to 
see  the  sepulchre,  (Matt.),  and  to  embalm  the  body  of 
Jesus,  (Mark,  Luke) — and  the  peculiarly  solemn  cir- 
cumstances under  which  they  had  become  acquainted 
with  the  owner  of  it,  on  the  previous  Friday  evening, 
forbade  all  idea  of  their  being  intruders  in  entering 
upon  those  private  grounds. 

One  of  these  women  was  Mary  of  Magdala,  called 
Magdalene.  She  was  one  whom  Jesus  had  ^‘healed  of 
evil  spirits  and  infirmities.”  And  the  emphasis  upon 
the  fact — ‘‘out  of  her  Jesus  had  cast  seven  demons — 
shows,  not  impurity  of  life,  but  a demonical  possession 
of  extraordinary  malignity.  The  mental  and  spiritual 
disease,  the  divided  consciousness,  the  fearful  frenzy 
and  wretchedness  of  despair  to  which  it  had  subjected 
her,  made  hers  a case  of  peculiar  sorrow.  Her  grati- 
tude, when  relieved,  knew  no  bounds.  She  followed 
Jesus  with  unswerving  loyalty  and  attachment,  fully 
used  time,  influence,  nroney  (of  which  she  seems  to 
have  had  plenty),  in  His  cause,  accompanied  Him  on 
His  last  journey  to  Jerusalem,  stood,  with  other  women, 
by  Him  during  all  the  hours  of  His  agony  on  the  cross, 


l^HE  HOLY  REStJHRECtlON.  ^5 

followed  His  Body  to  the  tomb,  and  now,  at  this  early 
hour,  is  on  her  way  thither.  Though  John  mentions 
her  only,  he  does  not  exclude  others.  For  in  vs.  2 he  indi- 
cates, in  her  use  of  the  words,  ‘^we  know,  &c.,”  that  she 
was  not  alone.  And  the  Synoptists  give  us  the  names  of 
her  companions.  One  was  Mary,  the  wife  of  Cleopasj 
mother  of  James  the  Less  and  Joses,  and  aunt  of  Jesus. 
Because,  perhaps,  their  husbands  were  dead,  she  and 
her  sister  had  lived  together.  For,  as  early  as  in  the 
second  year  of  Jesus’  ministry  they  were  regarded  as 
one  family.  (Matt,  xii,  47 ; xiii,  56.)  This,  with  the 
glimpses  of  her  at  the  cross,  burial,  and  here  on  this 
morning,  are  the  only  sights  of  her  that  are  given. 
Salome,  wife  of  Zebedee,  and  mother  of  James  and 
John,  who  had  also  witnessed  the  crucifixion,  and 
Joanna,  wife  of  Chuza,  Herod’s  steward,  whom  we  find 
among  the  ladies  which  ministered  unto  the  Lord, 
(Luke  viii,  3,)  were  also  in  this  company.  With  these 
were  certain  others,*  whose  names  are  not  given.  These 
all  were  on  their  way,  theora%  to  view  with  attention^ 
the  sepulchre.  And  that  they  might  complete  the 
work  of  anointing,  done  so  hurriedly  on  the  Friday  be- 
fore, they  carried  with  them  the  costly  spices  which 
they  had  bought  and  prepared. 

Though  ignorant  of  the  seal  and  guard,  they  knew 
that  a great  stone  was  at  the  door  of  the  tomb.  And 
being  unattended  by  men,  they  were  asking  themselves 
the  question.  Who  shall  roll  us  away  the  stone?  When 

[*The  words,  “certain  with  them,”  are  genuine  in  Luke,  vs.  10, 
but  not  in  vs.  7.] 


36 


THK  HOLT  EESUEEEOTION. 


they  started,  everything  at  the  sepulchre  was  as  it  had 
been  since  the  guard  had  been  first  placed  there.  Noth- 
ing  had  occurred  to  disturb  it  or  the  Eoman  sentries, 
as  they  paced  their  rounds  before  it,  or  sat  around  its 
entrance,  engaged  in  talk  or  pastimes.  It  was  very 
early  in  the  morning  (Mark),  just  as  day  was  beginning 
to  dawn  (Matt.),  and  while  the  darkness  had  not  yet 
been  chased  away*  (John),  when  the  women  started. 
As  they  went  on,  and  the  day  was  beginning  to  break, 
suddenly  there  was  a flashing  light,  and  seismos  megas^ 
a great  shaking  of  the  ground — seen  and  felt  (so  think 
we  from  Matt.’s  behold,  and  from  the  angels  empha- 
sized ye^  — by  the  women.  They  knew  not  the 

cause:  an  angel  descending  from  heaven:  nor  the 
effects.  When  Jesus  died  gee  esaiththai^  the  earth 
shook.  But  here,  gee  is  not  mentioned.  The  shaking 
was  great,  but  conflned  to  the  tomb,  and  ground  imme- 
diately around  it.  It  was  caused — as  the  gar  in  Matt, 
vs.  2,  shows— by  an  angel  of  the  Lord,  descending 
from  heaven,  and  shaking  and  dislodging  the  stone 
from  the  mouth  of  the  tomb,  into  which  it  was  closely 
fltted.  He  ermenon^  lifted  it  away  from  the  sepulchre 
(John) — thus  bursting  Pilate’s  band,  and  seal  which 
none  dare  touch  under  penalty  of  death.  Then  apokek- 
alesthai^  he  rolled  it  hack  from  the  door,  outside, 
(Matt.)  and  sat  upon  it  in  triumph.  This  action  was 

[^John’s  “when  it  was  yet  dark”  must  refer  to  the  time  of  the 
women’s  starting.  For,  he  immediately  adds,  Uepsei^  she  seeth 
the  stone,  &c.  This  refers  to  the  time  when  Majry  was  near  the 
tomb,  and  this  required  clear  daylight.  And  this  is  exactly  accord- 
ant with  Mark’s  “they  came  to  the  sepulchre  at  the  rising  of  the 
sun.”] 


The  angei  at  ttie^o6r  of  the  sepulchre. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


37 


God’s  answer  to  the  question,  ^^Who  shall  roll  away 
the  stone  for  us?”  It  was  His  call  to  all  to  look,  and 
enter  into  the  already  empty  tomb.  It  was  the  voice 
of  judgment  upon  Jesus’  foes,  the  assurance  of  His 
resurrection  and  exaltation,  and  of  the  gift  of  all  power 
to  Him  on  earth.  And  along  with  this  voice  was  the 
proclamation  of  Jesus’  victory  over  death,  given  by  the 
saints,  whose  graves  had  been  opened  at  His  death, 
now  going  forth  from  them,  and  appearing,  the  first 
fruits  of  His  resurrection,  to  many  in  the  Holy  City. 
(Matt,  xxvii,  51-53.) 

The  angel’s — not  morphee^  form^  but  idia — appear- 
ance^ was  like  lightning,  and  his  clothing  was  white  as 
snow.  The  guard  were  paralyzed  with  fear.  They  did 
not,  could  not,  at  once,  flee,  for  they  had  become  as 
dead  men. 

The  shaking  ceased.  The  light-flash  was  not  re- 
peated. The  morning  stillness  resumes  its  wonted 
sway,  disturbed  only  by  the  morning  chorus  warbled, 
full-throated,  by  the  birds.  The  sun  had  just  sent  out 
his  first  blush  over  the  skies,  a herald  of  his  coming. 
The  world  was  at  that  hour  when  all  the  softer  shades 
of  color  strive  to  convince  one  how  much  lovelier  they 
are  than  the  azure  of  full  day.  Every  bough  and 
blade  of  grass  was  glittering  with  dew.  It  looked, 
while  the  life  and  stir  of  this  new  day  began,  as  if  the 
whole  earth  had  just  been  made  fresh  that  morning. 
And  so,  in  the  sublimer  sense,  it  had.  As  the  full 
golden  lustre  streamed  over  the  edge,  and  was  lighting 
up  mountain  and  plain,  the  women,  whom  the  earth* 


38 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


quake’s  noise  may  have  stopped,  moved  on.  As  the 
sun  came  rolling  up  in  majesty,  one  central  spot  of 
ruby  fire,  they,  yet  at  a distance  from  the  sepulchre, 
but  near  enough  to  see  it  on  the  gently-sloping  opposite 
height,  anablepasthai^  looked  up^  and  theorousin^ 
saw  with  amazement  that  the.  closely-fitting  stone 
(John)  had  been  taken  away  from  the  horizontal  door. 
This  was  to  Mary  Magdalene  a dreadful  shock.  With- 
out going  on,  or  waiting  to  examine  further,  she  turned 
around,  left  the  company,  and  ran  back  as  rapidly 
as  she  could  to  the  city. 

Let  us,  while  she  is  returning,  accompany  the  other 
women  to  the  sepulchre.  They  saw  the  stone,  but  not 
the  angel  sitting  upon  it.  The  terrified  soldiers  did 
not  molest,  perhaps  not  even  notice,  them.  They 
eiselthousai^  entered  into  the  sepulchre,  but  found  not 
the  Body  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  It  was  gone.  In  the 
midst  of  the  great  perplexity  and  alarm,  caused  by  this 
discovery,  they  were  startled  by  the  sight  of  the  angel, 
w"ho  looked  like  a young  man.  He  was  clothed  in  a 
long  white  garment,  and  was  sitting  on  the  right  side 
of  the  sepulchre  from  the  entrance.  Presently  two 
men,  epesteesan^  were  suddenly  present"^ — so  the  verb 

[*Luke  mentions  two  angels ; Matthew  and  Mark  only  one. 
This  canon  applies:  “He  who  speaks  of  two,  includes  also  the  one; 
he  who  mentions  only  one,  does  not  deny  the  two.”  Mark  says  he 
was  sitting;  Luke  speaks  of  them  as  standing.  But  the  Greek 
word,  in  its  appropriate  and  established  usage,  is  to  he  suddenly 
present.  (Compare  Luke  ii,  9 ; Acts  xii,  7.)  In  Matthew,  the  an- 
gel, while  still  apparently  outside,  addressed  the  women.  In 
Mark  and  Luke  the  conversation  takes  place  inside  the  sepulchre ; 
and  Matt,  xxviii,  8,  implies  coming  out.  In  Scripture,  angels 
appearing  in  the  form  of  men  are  often  spoken  of  as  they  appear. 
See  Gen.  xviii,  16,  &c. 


THE  ANGEL. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


39 


here,  as  in  Luke  ii,  38,  signifies.  Both  had  shining 
garments.  And  as  the  women  were  afraid,  and  bowed 
down  their  faces  to  the  earth,  one,  or  both  of  them, 
said  to  them:  ^^Fear  not  ye.  I know  that  ye  seek 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which  was  crucified.”  This,  the 
name  nailed,  in  derision,  on  His  cross,  and  the  one 
that  was  then  in  their  consciousness,  was  the  first  name 
given  Jesus  after  His  resurrection,  by  an  angel,  and  is, 
hence,  the  name  by  which  He  was  then  known  in  heaven. 
You  seek  Him  here,  in  His  death  and  disgrace.  But 
‘^why  seek  ye  zoonta^  the  living^'*  in  the  profoundest 
sense,  the  Life  (John  i,  4),  Him  whom  the  angels 
called  Lord — ^‘why  seek  ye  the  living  among  the  dead? 
He  is  not  here.  He  is  risen.  Remember  how  He 
spake  unto  you  when  He  was  yet  in  Galilee,  saying. 
The  Son  of  Man  must  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of 
sinful  men,  and  be  crucified,  and  the  third  day  rise 
again  ” (Matt,  xvi,  21;  xvii,  23;  Mark  viii,  31;  ix,  31; 
Luke  ix,  22;  John  ii,  22.)  To  these  words  of  Jesus, 
the  angels  add  their  own:  ^^Come,  see  the  place  where 
the  Lord  lay.  And  go  quickly,  and  tell  His  disciples, 
8,nd  Peter” — these  He,  in  His  word  to  Mary,  called 
my  brethren — ‘^that  He  is  risen  from  the  dead.  And 
behold,  proageiy^  He  goeth  before  you  like  an  invisible 
Shepherd  before  a visible  fiock,  into  Galilee,  and  there 
will  He  gather  together  that  fiock,  the  nucleus  of  His 
church,  which  was  scattered  by  the  smiting  of  the 


[*The  verbs,  expressive  of  motion  from  place  to  place,  are 
never  used  of  Jesus  after  His  resurrection.  See  Stier’s  exhaustive 
criticism,  Word%  of  the  I^ord  Jems^  viii,  pgs.  99, 100,  EdiQburgh  edd 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


40 

Shepherd  (John  x,  4.)  This  did  He  say  to  you  while 
on  His  way  to  Gethsemane  (Matt,  xxvi,  31,  32;  Mark 
xiv,  27,  28.)  All  this  have  I now  told  you.  Do  you 
believe  these  mighty  words  of  life,  of  peace,  of  joy?^’ 

In  that  message  the  women  were  included,  for  they 
were  not  to  be  mere  messengers.  And  that  grand  and 
solemn  re-union  in  Galilee  was  not  intended  to  exclude 
special  appearances  in  Judaea;  for  there  Jesus  showed 
Himself  often  to  the  disciples.  But  it  is  not  improba- 
ble, but  that,  if  they  had  believed  this  message  and 
acted  upon  it,  Jesus  would  not  have  showed  Himself 
at  all  in  Jerusalem — at  least,  not  until  after  the  great 
meeting  in  Galilee. 

This  startling  apparition  and  these  words  made  upon 
the  women  a very  profound  impression.  They  departed 
quickly  out  of  the  sepulchre,*  and  fled  from  it,  trem- 
bling, and  filled  with  the  complex  sensations  of  amaze- 
ment, joy  and  fear. 

It  seems  that,  soon  as  they  started,  they  separated  into 
two  groups.  Of  the  group,  mentioned  by  Mark,  it  is 
said,  tromoSy  a trembling  of  body,  Tcai  elcstasis,  an 
ecstacy^  eiche^  held  them.  They  were  too  terrified  to 
say  anything  to  anyone  by  the  way.  One,  or  more  of 
them,  seems  to  have  gone  to  that  company  of  disciples, 
two  of  which  went  that  same  day  to  Emmaus.  Salome, 
whose  name  is  not  mentioned  among  those  who  told  the 
disciples,  went,  perhaps,  to  her  own  home,  to  tell  the 

[*B.  L.  and  Cod.  Sin.  in  Matt.  vs.  8,  read  apelthousai  (which  is 
adopted  by  Tischendorf  and  Alford),  instead  of  exelthomai^  of 
Text.  Recpt.,  which  Lachman  retains.  Mark,  whose  reading  here 
is  undisputed,  has  exelthousei.^ 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


41 


mother  of  our  Lord.  To  this  group  Jesus  did  not 
appear — so  it  seems — ^but  to  the  other  group,  the  one 
mentioned  by  Matthew,  and  of  which  it  is  said,  they 
departed  phohee^  with  fear^  fcai  oharas  megales^  and 
with  great  joy^  and  did  run  to  tell  the  news,  and  give 
the  aiigePs  message  to  the  disciples.” 

By  the  time,  or  soon  after  the  time,  when  the  women 
had  left  the  sepulchre,  the  guards  had  so  far  recov- 
ered from  the  terror  which  had  seized  them,  that  they 
could,  and  did,  abandon  their  post.  For  a short  time 
the  sepulchre  was  entirely  deserted.  Presently  two 
men  came  up,  one  far  in  advance  of  the  other.  These 
were  disciples.  How  came  they  there?  To  answer  this 
question,  we  must  return  to  Mary  Magdalene,  whom 
we  last  saw  running  in  breathless  haste  towards  the 
city. 

When  she  had  reached  it,  she  went  first,  to 

Simon  Peter,  who  may  have  been  staying  at  the 
house  of  a friend,  and  then  pros^  to  John,  who  dwelt  in 
his  own  house  (John  xix,  27).  The  repetition  of  the  pros 
shows  that  she  went  successively  to  each  of  the  two* 
To  each  one  she  told  in  breathless  haste,  her  imagina- 
tive fears:  ^‘They,”  i,  ^.,  the  enemies,  ^‘have  taken 
away,”  i.  ^.,  violently,  <^the  Lord  out  of  the  sepulchre, 
and  we,”  i.  e.^  the  women,  ^‘know  not  where  they  have 
laid  Him.”* 

[*Luke  (xxiv,  9-12)  seems  to  blend  into  one  narrative  the 
statements  of  the  women  to  the  disciples,  and  that  of  Mary  Mag- 
dalene  to  Peter  and  John.  According  to  him  the  statements  of 
the  other  women,  as  well  as  those  of  Mary  M.,  seemed  to  all  “as  idle 
tales,”  and  not  worthy  of  credit.  And  this  was  the  motive  prompt- 
ing Peter  to  go  to  the  sepulchre,  a^  brought  out  in  the  “them”  of 


42 


THE  HOLY  KESUKRECTION. 


This  was  astounding  news  to  the  two  men.  Peter, 
told  first,  started  first.  But  John  soon  caught  up  with 
him,  and  the  two  were  running  homou^  together!^ 
They  erchonto^  were  coming  with  the  feeling  of  inex- 
pressible expectation — for  this  is  the  idea  expressed  in 
this  imperfect  tense  of  duration.  The  speed  was  in- 
creased with  every  step.  They  were  soon  running  with 
all  their  might.  John,  more  nimble-footed,  outran 
Peter,  and  was  first  at  the  sepulchre.  Bending  forward 
hleepei^  he  sees  the  linen  clothes,  in  which  the  Body 
had  been  wrapped,  lying  down.  Friends  would  not 
have  left,  nor  enemies  so  carefully  arranged,  them. 
Fear  least  the  Body  had  been  stolen,  gives  place  to 
profound  amazement  and  awe.  And  while  he  gazes, 
held  back  by  his  contemplative  nature  from  going 
in,  Peter  reached  the  spot.  He,  too,  bending  forward^* 
hleepei^  sees  the  linen  clothes.  This  did  not  satisfy 
his  more  practical  nature.  He  felt  impelled  to  go  in, 
and  investigate  more  closely.  How  true  these  touches 


the  12th  verse.  Luke  says  that  the  two  Marys,  J oanna  and  the 
others  told  these  things  to  the  apostles.  But  he  does  not  say  when, 
nor  that  they  all  told  them  at  the  same  time.  And  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  believing  that  the  o^er  apostles,  when  they  heard 
the  story,  and  Peter,  when  he  heard  it,  did  not  believe  it,  and  that 
the  motives  prompting  Peter  to  go  were  incredulity,  and  the  pur- 
pose either  to  verify  or  overthrow  the  statement,  concerning  the 
empty  tomb  and  risen  Jesus.] 

[*  Homou  signifies,  “in  company”  ^John  xxi,  2),  but  not  always 
so  (John  iv,  36).  It  may  here  signify  either  in  company,  or,  at  the 
same  time.] 

[**Luke  xxiv,  12,  is  omitted  in  Cantab.,  and  some  Latin  and 
Syriac  versions,  and  is  rejected  by  Tischendorf.  But  it  is  in  Sin. 
Vat.  Alex.,  and,  except  the  above,  in  the  entire  body  of  Mss.,  and  in 
most  copies  of  ancient  translations ; and  is  retained  by  Alford, 
Jjange^  M«yer,  apd  ipgst  critics.] 


JOHN  look: NO  IN10  THE  SEPULCHRE. 


•H/ 


JOHN  LOOK:Nfi  IMO  THE  SEPULCHRE 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  43 

to  their  respective  characters!  Theoorei^  he  sees,  then 
gives  attentive  and  prolonged  examination  of,  and  reflec- 
tion upon,  the  facts.  He  saw  that  the  stone  was  rolled 
away,  allowing  free  access  to  the  tomb;  that  the  grave 
was  empty;  that  the  linen  grave  clothes  had  not  been 
carried  away,  nor  left  in  any  confusion,  but  laid  away  in 
an  orderly  manner;  and  that  the  napkin  that  had  been 
about  Jesus’  head  was  not  lying  with  the  linen  clothes, 
but  was  lying,  carefully  folded  together,  in  a place  by 
itself.  All  this  he  saw.  But  he  saw  not  what  it  signi- 
fled;  ‘^and  departed,  wondering  in  himself  at  that  which 
had  come  to  pass.” 

After  Peter  had  come  out  of,  but  before  he  departed 
from,  the  tomb,  John,  emboldened  by  his  example, 
went  into  it.  His  minute  and  vivid  description  of 
the  interior,  re-called  and  recorded  many  years  after- 
wards,shows  how  profound  was  theimpression  made  upon 
his  mind.  Peter,  evidently,  had  told  him  of  the  ab- 
sence of  the  Body,  and  of  the  orderly  arrangement  of 
the  grave  clothes.  But  he  had  not  fully  credited  him,  un- 
til he  had  himself  gone  in.  Then  he  saw  and  believed. 

These  facts  were  signs  of  resurrection,  trophies  of 
power  over  death,  indications  that  its  Conqueror  had 
done  a glorious  work,  had  cut  the  gates  of  brass  and 
bars  of  iron  asunder,  had  come  out  into  light,  and  had 
left  these  clothes  behind  Him  as  a symbol  that  He  had 
entered  into  a state  where  they  were  no  longer  needed. 
He  had  left  them,  and  the  form  of  sinful  flesh,  behind. 
The  rolled  away  stone  was  evidence  of  the  annihilation 
of  the  counsel,  and  frustration  of  the  league  of  this 


44 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


world.  The  orderly  arrangement  of  the  grave  clothes 
was  convincing  proof  that  the  Body  had  not  been  re- 
moved by  either  friends  or  foes.  This  holy  order  indi- 
cated a deliberation,  a composure,  and  a ruling  of  the 
highest,  clearest,  calmest  presence  of  mind  which  for- 
bade that  idea.  And  the  calm  spirit  that  reigned  there 
should,  and  doubtless  did,  calm  their  perplexed  and 
agitated  minds.  But  because  eedeisan^  {eidoo\  they 
discerned — comprehended — not,  as  yet,  the  Scriptures, 
that  He  must  rise  again  from  the  dead  (John  xx,  9), 
they  understood  not  the  significance  of  the  facts.  The 
rolled-away  stone,  the  empty  tomb,  the  neatly  folded 
clothes,  were  no  proofs  of  resurrection  to  them.  John 
saw,  and  ejpisteesen^  believed — in  the  lower,  but  not  in 
the  profound  and  lofty  sense  in  which  he  commonly 
uses  that  word.  He  believed  that  the  Body  was  gone. 
The  emphasis  on  anasteenai  show  that  this  is  the  power 
of  the  word  “believe”  here.  He  did  not  believe  in  the 
fact  of  Jesus’  resurrection,  for  he  discerned  not,  that 
Scripture  had  said,  “He  must  rise  from  the  dead.”  But 
he  did  believe — and  this  is  contrasted  with  what  he 
did  not  believe — that  the  Body  was  gone,  and  had  not 
been  taken  away  by  violence,  so  not  by  human  hands. 
He  had  not  looked  for  resurrection,  but  for  the  re- 
appearing of  Jesus  as  the  Glorified  One.  And  now  he 
believed  that  by  some  Divine  and  glorious  rapture  He 
had  been  suddenly  taken  to  heaven.  And  among  others, 
was  not  the  correction  of  this  notion,  one  reason  why 
Jesus,  almost  immediately  after,  said  to  Mary:  “I  have 
not  yet  ascended,  but  say  to  My  brethren,  I ascend?” 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


45 


Jesus*  First  Appearance-to  Mary  Magdalene. 

After  Peter  and  John  had  left  for  their  homes,  Mary 
— who  had  followed  after  them  from  the  city — still 
lingered  at  the  tomb.  The  sun  was  up  when  she  left 
for  the  city,  about  a mile  distant.  The  time  occupied 
in  going  to  the  homes  of  Peter  and  J ohn,  in  the  coming 
out,  and  in  the  examination  they  made,  could  scarcely 
have  been  less  than  two  hours.  We  should  judge  that  it 
must  have  been  9 o’clock,  or  after,  when  we  find  Mary 
eisteekei^  standing  in  front  of  the  tomb,  as  if  riveted 
to  the  spot.  The  blooming  of  the  fiowers,  the  caroling 
of  the  birds,  the  air  and  sun  of  that  Easter  morning 
were  nothing  to’  her.  The  blinding  tears  are  coursing 
down  her  cheeks.  Again  and  again,  she  bends  forward 
and  looks  into  the  tomb.  Angels  had  appeared  and 
announced  Jesus’  birth.  JSTow,  for  the  second  time, 
they  appear  and  announce  His  resurrection.  One  had 
rolled  away  the  stone,  and  sat  upon  it;  and  he  had  been 
seen  by  the  soldiers.  Two  had  appeared  to  the  women 
in  the  sepulchre,  and  had  announced  the  fact  of  Jesus’ 
resurrection.  Two  are  now  seen  by  Mary,  sitting,  the 
one  at  the  head,  and  the  other  at  the  feet,  where  the 
Body  of  Jesus  had  lain.  They  ask  her  a question,  but 
give  her  no  reply.  She  theorei^  gazes  at  them.  But 
such  was  her  mental  condition,  that  the  sight  makes 
little  impression  upon  her.  What  to  her  w^as  all  their 
splendor!  She  only  sought,  desired,  thought  of  her  cru- 
cified Lord.  His  Body  was  gone,  and  the  feeling  of 
utter  goneness  was  in  her  heart. 


46 


THE  HOLY  REStBEEOTiON. 


To  her,  in  her  great  agitation,  looking  in  and  ou  t of  the 
sepulchre,  whose  emptiness  was  re-echoed  in  her  heart, 
the  angels  addressed  the  question,  Woman,  why  weep- 
est  thou?”  To  this  she  replied,  “Because  they  have 
taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I know  not  where  they  have 
laid  Him.”  Having  said  this,  estraphee^  she  turned 
rounds  as  if  struck  by  a sudden  change  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  angels,  and  Jesus  stood  before  her.  She 
beholds  a Man,  but  knows  not  who  it  is.  Because  He 
was  in  hetera  morphee^  another  form?  Ho.  Because 
the  change  in  Him  was  so  great  that  she  did  not 
recognize  Him,  as  we,  after  a long  separation  from  a 
friend,  do  not,  when  we  meet,  fully  recognize  him  at 
first?  No.  But  because  resurrection  was  far  from  her 
thoughts;  and  because  she  sought  the  dead,  not  the 
living,  Jesus.  “Woman,”  said  He,  “why  weepest  thou? 
Trhom  seekest  thou?”  This  was  Jesus’  first  resurrection 
word,  and  it  was  addressed  to  one  earnestly  seeking 
Him.  Still  she  recognized  Him  not.  “This,”  she  sup- 
posed, “is  Joseph’s  gardener.”  She  addressed  Him  as 
such:  “Sir,  if  thou  have  borne  Him  hence,  tell  me 
where  thou  hast  laid  Him,  and  I will  take  Him  away” 
— as  if  every  one  would,  without  the  mention  of  His 
name,  know  who  was  the  object  of  which  her  heart 
was  full.  She  had  been  tested  by  the  angels,  and  by 
the  Lord  Himself.  The  time  had  come  for  her  to  be 
initiated  into  the  mystery.  And  Jesus,  by  that  most 
personal  thing  in  human  manifestation,  the  sound  of 
the  voice,  and  by  calling  her  by  name,  gave  her  the 
strongest  proof  of  His  personal  identity,  and  by  tone. 


NOLI  ME  TANGERE 


tHl5  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


47 


manner  and  word,  expressed  all  that  He  was  to  her, 
and  all  that  she  was  to  Him.  She  had  sought  the  dead 
Body.  But,  ^^Mary!”  scattered  all  clouds  and  tears. 
That  voice  and  word  revealed  all  in  unison  with  all  in 
her  heart.  It  was  the  only  note  to  which  she  could 
respond.  She  saw  the  living  Jesus  before  her.  His 
glorified  life  had,  indeed,  begun.  And  her  whole  soul 
went  out  in  her  answer,  “Rabboni,  Master  1’’ 

Then  something  in  her  motions  drew  from  Jesus  a 
seeming  repulse,  and  one  very  chilling  to  her  ardent 
affection:  mee  mou  haptou^^  touch  me  not.  Was  her 
ardent  affection  too  human,  and  too  far  below  true 
spirituality.  It  may  be  so.  Or  was  she  to  be  taught  that, 
henceforth,  she  must  not  know  Christ  after  the  fiesh, 
but  only  as  in  His  new  relation  to  her,  as  supremely  the 
Son  of  God?  Or,  His  different  actions  may  be  explained 
by  the  different  light  in  which  He  is  presented  in 
Matthew  and  in  John.  In  Matthew,  where  He  is  the 
Divine  Man,  Christ,  in  the  midst  of  earthly  glory  and 
royalty  in  Israel,  we  have  no  ascension,  only  a meeting 
with  the  disciples  in  Galilee.  There,  resurrection  is 
the  end  of  the  triumphant  journey.  But  in  John, 
where  He  is  the  Divine  Son  in  the  midst  of  the 
heavenly  family,  we  have  no  place  of  meeting  men- 
tioned. His  word  is,  “I  ascend.”  Glory  and  ascen- 
sion are  the  end.  He  is  going  to  the  Father,  and  res- 
urrection is  the  way  to  Him.  This  might  explain  why 

mou  haptou^  Me  touch  not.  Critical  authorities  perfectly 
establish  the  correctness  of  this  reading.  And  most  earnest 
labors  have  been  put  forth  to  discover  the  reason  for  Jesus’  word.] 


48 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


He  forbade  Mary,  but  permitted  the  other  women,  to 
touch  Him,  were  it  not  for  His  word  to  Thomas,  which 
we  have  in  John. 

But  why  not  accept  the  reason  which  J esus  Himself 
gives:  ‘^Ihave  not  yet  ascended;  but  go  tell  My  breth- 
ren, ‘‘I  ascend.”  I now  ascend.  And  why  not  at  once 
admit,  since  soon  after  He  allowed  the  other  women  to 
touch  Him,  that  in  the  very  brief  interval  He  had 
ascended  to  His  Father,  and  had  returned? 

This  was  a transition  time.  His  was  the  Body  of  resur- 
rection— and  so  spiritual — but  not  yet  of  glory.  It,  in 
certain  respects,  was  in  harmony  with  the  present  order 
of  things.  But  resurrection  was  the  first  fruits  of  new 
spiritual  human  life,  of  glorified  humanity,  and  entrance 
into  the  heavenly  state.  So  it  was  the  beginning  of 
ascension,  which  was  the  entrance  into  the  heavenly 
sphere. 

The  verb  used  to  describe  the  appearances  during 
this  transition  state — itself  a mystery  of  which  we 
have  no  experimental  data — are  (a)  ajpantaoo^  to  ‘‘meet 
suddenly^^  in  the  way  (Matt,  xxviii,  9) ; (b)  paristeemi^ 
“was  presenf^  (E.  Y.,  showed  Himself)  (Acts  i,  3); 
(c)  phranoo  (Mark  xvi,  9),  and  phaneroo  (Mark  xvi, 
12,  14;  John  xxi,  1,  14),  “appeaTed\^^  and  (d)  oraoo^ 
optomai  (Matt,  xxviii,  7 ; Mark  xvi,  7 ; Luke  xxiv,  34). 
This  last  verb  is  used  to  express  ‘^the  theophanies,”  and 
^‘the  appearances  of  angels,”  and  of  Moses  and  Elias  on 
the  Mount.  It  is  also  the  word  which  Jesus  used  in 
the  message  which  He  sent,  through  the  women,  to  the 
disciples.  In  Acts  ix,  17;  xxvi,  16 — in  the  account 


fHE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


49 


of  Paul’s  conversion — it,  in  the  one  place  used  by,  and 
of,  Himself,  expresses  Jesus’  appearances  from  heaven. 
And  does  not  His  use  of  it  there,  and  here  on  this  the 
morning  of  His  resurrection,  and  after  He  says  to 
Mary,  ascend,”  justify  us  in  saying  that  He  actually 
did,  between  His  appearance  to  Mary,  and  to  the 
women,  ascend  invisibly,  as  afterwards  He  ascended 
visibly,  to  heaven?  And  further,  does  not  the  use  of  this 
verb,  by  Luke  (Acts  i,  3,  ix,  xxvi),  to  describe  His 
appearances  during  the  forty  days,  and  also  those  to 
Paul,  distinctly  intimate  that  every  time  He  appeared 
to  the  disciples  during  the  forty  days,  He,  on  each  occa- 
sion, left  the  invisible  world?  And  is  not  this  implied 
in  the  other  verbs  used,  and  also  in  the  phrases,  leai 
idontes^  they  having  seen,  before  the  proselthoon,  He 
came  (Matt,  xxviii,  17, 18),  and  theoorai  estota,  they  see 
Him  standing,  before  the  eelthen.  He  came  (John 
XX,  14,  19, *26)?  The  exegesis  forces  on  me  the  convic- 
tion that  Jesus,  immediately  after  He  spake  to  Mary, 
ascended,  and  appeared  before  the  Throne;  and  then 
returned,  and  appeared  to  the  women  on  the  way.  And 
this  is  in  accord  with  His  word,  ^‘Ye  shall  see  Me,  be- 
cause I go  to  My  Father”  (John  xvi,  16),  which  teaches 
that  they  would  not  obtain  a sight  of  Him,  after  His 
death,  until  He  had  firs^i  ascended  to  heaven.  The  life 
He  then  had  points  beyond  this  world  to  a higher 
sphere.  The  ascending,  involved  in  His  resurrection, 
began  with  it,  and  on  that  day.  He  was,  to  use  His 
own  expression,‘^ascending,”  And  His,  ^‘while  I was  yet 
with  you^^  (Lk.  vs.  44),  shows  that  He  lived  on  earth  no 


50  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

longer.  He  was  no  more  with  them.  He  belonged  to 
a higher  sphere  of  existence,  and  at  times,  only,  mani- 
fested Himself  here  below.  And,  for  some  reason,  not 
made  known  to  us,  none  could  touch  Him  before  He 
had  first  ascended  to  the  Father;  after  that  they  could. 

Though  Mary  was  not  allowed  to  touch  Him,  she 
was  entrusted  with  His  first  resurrection  messao-e:  ‘‘Go 

o 

to  My  brethren,  and  say  unto  them,  I ascend  unto  My 
Father,  and  your  Father,  and  to  My  Lord,  and  your 
Lord.’^  By  the  other  women  Jesus  sent  the  message, 
“Go  tell  My  brethren  that  they  go  into  Galilee,  and 
there  shall  they  see  Me;”  and  this  tells  of  resurrection, 
and  of  a subsequent  meeting  on  earth.  But  the  mes- 
sage through  Mary  speaks  not  of  resurrection, 
though  this  is  necessarily  implied,  but  of  ascension; 
and  this  tells  of  a future  meeting  with  His  disciples  in 
Heaven. 

Jesus’  Second  Appearance-to  Certain  Women. 

While  Mary — to  whom  Jesus,  when  He  was  risen 
early  the  first  day  of  the  week,  appeared  first* — was  on 
her  way  to  the  city,  Jesus,  who  had  ascended  and  had 
returned,  appeared  to  that  group  of  women,  which,  in 
the  way  of  righteous  obedience,  was  hastening  into  the 
city  to  deliver  the  message  which  they,  with  the  others, 

[*The  last  twelve  verses  of  Mark  are  wanting  in  the  Sin.  Vat. 
Alex.  Meyer  and  Tischondorf  reject,  Alford  brackets,  and  Tre- 
gellcs,  Laclimann  and  Lange  retain,  them.  Nothing  new  has  been 
added  on  either  side  by  the  late  writers  on  the  question.  The 
reader  can  see  the  reasons  for  and  against  their  retention,  in  Lange 
and  Alford,  in  loco,^ 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  51 

had  received.^  His  first  word  was  ChaiTete^  All  hail! 
They  instantly  knew  Him,  held  Him  by  the  feet,  and 
worshipped  Him.  His  ‘‘be  not  afraid”  quieted  their 
minds.  Then  He  sent  a message,  by  them,  to  His 
brethren,  that  He  would  meet  them  in  Galilee. 

The  Flight  of  the  Guard-The  Results  from  it. 

While  these  women  were-going  to  the  city,  the  guard 
were  going  also.  Soon  as  they  had  recovered  from  the 
consternation  caused  by  the  earthquake  and  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  angel,  they  fied  precipitately  from  the 
tomb.  Some  may  have  started  before  the  others.  Or, 
if  together,  they  seem  to  have  been  separated  in  their 
fiight.  Some  of  them  went,  perhaps,  to  the  barracks. 
Others,  after  reaching  the  city,  went  directly  to  the 
chief  priests,  by  whom  they  liad  been  stationed  at  the 
tomb,  and  told  them  of  the  earthquake,  angel,  stone 
being  rolled  away,  empty  sepulchre,  women — of  all  the 
things  that  had  occurred. 

The  intelligence  astounded,  appalled,  the  priests.  The 
soldiers  could  not  report  the  fact  of  resurrection.  But 
this  would  instantly  fiash  across  the  minds  of  the 
priests.  They  had  told  Pilate  that  Jesus  had  said,  be- 
fore His  death,  that  He  would  rise  again.  The  sol- 
diers’ report  would  at  once  suggest  to  them  the  truth 
of  His  saying,  now  passed  into  reality.  Hence  the 
consternation  must  have  been  very  great,  the  fact  por- 

[*The  words,  “As  they  'went  to  tell  the  disciples  word,”  Matt., 
vs.  9,  are  wanting  in  Sin.  and  Vat.,  and  are  rejected  by  all  critics. 
The  rejection  does  not,  however,  alfect  the  sense  of  the  passage.] 


52 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


tentous,  the  inquiry,  ^^what  to  do,”  very  pressing  and 
perplexing.  The  facts  reported  by  the  guard  could  not 
be  invalidated  nor  denied.  Nor  dared  they  allow  the 
facts  to  be  reported  to  Pilate,  for  he  would  at  once 
order  an  official  investigation — a thing  that  must,  at 
all  cost,  be  prevented.  Priests  and  elders  at  once  as- 
sembled. The  whole  matter  was  fully  canvassed — 
sumboulion  laioontes — and  the  following  conclusion 
reached  as  the  only  way,  since  they  must  deny  the  fact 
of  resurrection,  out  of  their  difficulty:  Admit  that  the 
Body  was  gone,  but  affirm  that  it  had  been  stolen  by 
His  disciples,  while  the  guard  were  sleeping.  This 
story,  to  be  plausible,  must  come  from  the  soldiers. 
The  sleeping  at  the  post,  and  the  allowing  such  a theft, 
was  a military  crime,  punishable  by  death.  To  save 
the  soldiers  from  this  fate,  Pilate,  if  necessary,  must 
be  propitiated.  To  get  the  soldiers  to  tell  the  lie  they 
must  be  bribed.  This  was  the  counsel  agreed  upon. 
The  treacherous  Judas,  who  voluntarily  sold  ^lirnself, 
accepted  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  But  the  soldiers  would 
not  sell  themselves  at  so  cheap  a rate.  Only  by  large 
bribes,  coupled  with  the  assurance  that  if  the  thing 
came  to  Pilate’s  ears,  either  officially  or  otherwise,  ^^we 
will  persuade  him,”  i.  e.y  give  him  large  bribes,  ^^and 
secure  you,”  could  they  be  induced  to  tell  the  lie. 

This  story  bears  all  the  marks  of  improbability  upon 
its  face.  Were  the  soldiers  awake?  Then,  unless  phys- 
ically overpowered,  they  would  not  have  dared  to  allow 
any  man  to  disturb  the  tomb.  Were  they  asleep?  How 
knew  they,  then,  that  the  disciples  had  stolen  the  Body 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


53 


away?  Could  the  disciples,  in  their  then  perplexed,  be- 
wildered state  of  mind,  have  attempted  a thing  requir- 
ing such  nerve,  and  such  composure  of  mind?  That 
were  a psychological  impossibility.  And  yet  the 
scheme  of  the  priests  and  elders  was  carried  out  suc- 
cessfully. The  matter  never  came  to  Pilate’s  ears,  and 
was  soon  forgotten  by  the  soldiers.  But  the  story  was 
commonly  reported,  perhaps  believed,  among  the  Jews. 
The  whole  transaction  shows,  on  the  part  of  the  priests, 
an  extraordinary  degree  of  depravity;  on  the  part  of 
the  soldiers,  the  powerlessness  of  prodigies  to  change 
the  will,  and  keep  people  from  doing  wrong;  and  on  the 
part  of  the  Jews,  the  obtuseness  of  willing  incredulity. 

First  Information  to  the  Company  of  the  Faithful. 

Both  Peter  and  John,  when  they  returned  to  the 
city,  went  to  their  own  home.  Why  they  did  this,  and 
gave  not  at  once  the  facts  which  they  knew,  does  not 
appear.  While  they  had  been  making  their  investiga- 
tions, however,  that  group  of  women,  in  which  were 
Joanna,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James,  to  which 
Jesus  had  not  appeared,  but  which  had  been  bidden  by 
the  angels  to  tell  the  disciples  and  Peter,  that  J esus 
had  risen  from  the  dead,  had  reached  the  city,  and  had 
gone  at  once  to  the  Eleven.  This  designation  of  the 
•apostles  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  all  were  pres- 
ent. (Comp,  Mark  xvi,  14,  with  J ohn  xx,  24.)  Peter 
and  John  were  not.  To  those  of  them  present,  and  to 
those  with  them,  they  told  what  they  had  seen  and 
heard.  This  fact  occurred  before  the  midday,  (Luke 


54 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


xxiv,  22,  23.)  They  told  the  same  story  also  ‘^to  all 
the  rest,”  i,  to  that  company  of  disciples,  of  which 
the  two  Emmaus  disciples,  but  no  apostles,  as  it  seems, 
constituted  a part.  To  one  company  their  words 
seemed  hoosei  leeros.^  as  nonsense^  superstitious  talk; 
to  the  other  company  as  a matter  of  incredible  aston- 
ishnient.  (Luke  xxiv,  11,  23.)  Subsequently,  but  still 
before  the  midday,  the  other  group  of  women,  tliat  to 
which  Jesus  had  appeared,  designated,  so  it  seems,  by 
the  phrase,  ^‘the  other  women  that  were  with  them,” 
(Luke  xxiv,  10),  went  to  the  apostles,  Peter  and  John 
being  still  absent,  and  told  their  story,  and  delivered 
Jesus’  message.  Bat  no  credit  was  given  to  their 
words.  Subsequently,  Mary  Magdalene  went  to  the 
apostles  with  her  message.  Peter  and  John  were 
present.  They  had  told  their  story,  which  had  filled 
all  eyes  with  tears,  and  all  hearts  with  grief.  Mary 
found  them  weeping  and  mourning  because,  along  with 
other  causes  of  grief,  the  Body  was  gone.  She  told 
them  that  she  had  seen  the  Lord,  and  delivered  the 
message  which  He  had  sent.  But  they  believed  not 
that  He  was  alive,  and  had  been  seen  by  her.* 

A brief  resume  may  be  helpful  to  the  mind,  in 
seeking  to  keep  before  it  the  order  of  events.  Peter 
and  John  were  the  first  apostles  that  learned  of  the 

[*It  is  clear  that  the  group,  of  which  Joanna  was  one,  went  at 
once  to  the  Eleven.  But  it  is  not  clear  which  next  preceeded,  the 
other  group,  or  Mary.  The  narratives  intimate  no  haste  in  Mary’s 
movements  after  she  had  seen  Jesus.  Some  time  elapsed,  proba- 
bly,  before  she  delivered  her  message.  It  seems  to  me  the  more 
probable  that  siie  delivered  her  message  after  the  second  group 
had  delivered  theirs. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


66 


empty  grave,  and  absent  Body.  After  their  examina- 
tion they  went  home,  and  it  was  some  time  before  they 
went  to  the  other  apostles.  The  group  of  women  to 
which  Jesus  did  not  appear  hastened  to  the  Eleven, 
Peter  and  John  being  absent,  and  told  them  their  story 
touching  the  open  and  empty  grave,  and  the  angels, 
and  their  message.  They  then  went  to  the  company  of 
which  they  and  Cleophas  were  a part,  and  told  them 
what  things  they  had  seen  and  heard.  Meantime,  Mary 
Magdalene  went  to  the  Eleven — Peter  and  John  being 
present,  and  having  already  told  them  what  they  knew — 
and  told  them  that  she  had  seen  the  Lord.  Subsequently 
the  group  which  had  seen  Jesus  went  to  the  Eleven 
and  told  their  story.  There  were  two  companies  of  the 
faithful.  Both  were  acquainted  with  fact  of  the  empty 
grave,  and  one  with  the  report  of  the  resurrection.  The 
impression  made  upon  the  minds  of  these  C5ompanies  was 
quite  different.  The  words  of  the  first  women  to  the 
Eleven  were  not  credited  at  all,  until  subsequently  con- 
firmed by  Peter  and  John.  Then  the  company  was  filled 
with  grief  because  the  Body  was  gone.  But  neither  the 
words  of  Mary,  nor  of  the  second  group  of  women,  were 
believed  at  all.  The  other  company,  because  after-exam- 
ination by  some  of  their  members  confirmed  it,  believed 
the  first  group  of  women’s  words,  as  to  the  empty  grave. 

This  was  the  situation  at  midday — for  less  time  is 
not  sufficient  forall  the  occurrences.  At  that  hour  there 
was  no  one,  save  the  women,  unless  it  was  the  chief 
priests  and  elders,  who  believed  that  Jesus  had  arisen. 
And  the  mental  condition  of  the  apostles  was  such  that 


66 


THE  HOLT  EESUERECTION. 


nothing  but  the  clearest,  fullest  and  most  satisfactory 
evidences  could  convince  them  of  the  fact. 


Jesus’  Third  Appearance-to  Two  Disciples  on 

THEIR  WAY  TO,  AND  AT,  EMMAUS. 

Jesus’  Fourth  Appearance-to  Peter. 

Mark  xvi,  12,  13;  Luke  xxiv,  13-35;  1 Cor.  xv,  5. 

Afternoon  of  the  first  Lord’s  Day. 

After  that  He  appeared  in  another  form  unto  two  ot 
them,  as  they  walked,  and  went  into  the  country.  And 
behold  two  of  them  went  that  same  day  to  a village 
called  Emmaus,  which  was  from  J erusalem  about  three 
score  furlongs.  And  they  talked  together  of  all  these 
things  which  had  happened.  And  it  came  to  pass  that 
while  they  communed  together,  and  reasoned,  Jesus 
Himself  drew  near,  and  went  with  them.  But  their 
eyes  were  holden  that  they  should  not  know  Him.  And 
He  said  unto  them.  What  manner  of  communications 
are  these  that  ye  have  one  to  another,  as  ye  walk,  and  are 
sad?  And  the  one  of  them,  whose  name  was  Clophas, 
answering,  said  unto  Him,  Art  thou  only  a stranger 
in  Jerusalem,  and  hast  not  known  the  things  which  are 
come  to  pass  there  in  these  days?  And  He  said  unto  them, 
What  things?  And  they  said  unto  Him,  concerning  J esus 
of  Nazareth,  which  was  a prophet  mighty  in  deed  and 
word  before  God  and  all  the  people:  and  how  the  chief 
priests  and  our  rulers  delivered  Him  to  be  condemned 
to  death,  and  have  crucified  Him.  But  we  trusted  that 
it  had  been  He  which  should  have  redeemed  Israel:  and 
besides  all  this,  to-day  is  the  third  day  since  these  things 
were  done.  Yea,  and  certain  women  also  of  our  company 
made  us  astonished,  which  were  early  at  the  sepulchre. 
And  when  they  found  not  His  Body,  they  came,  saying, 
that  they  had  also  seen  a vision  of  angels,  which  said 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


57 


that  He  was  alive.  And  certain  of  them  which  were 
with  us,  went  to  the  sepulchre,  and  found  it  even  as  the 
women  had  said:  but  Him  they  saw  not. 

Then  He  said  unto  them,  O fools,  and  slow  of  heart, 
to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken!  Ought  not 
Christ  to  have  suffered  these,  and  to  enter  into  His  glory? 
And  beginning  at  Moses,  and  all  the  prophets.  He  ex- 
pounded unto  them  in  all  the  Scriptures  the  things  con- 
cerning Himself. 

And  they  drew  nigh  unto  the  village  whither  they 
went:  and  lie  made  as  though  He  would  have  gone  fur- 
ther. But  they  constrained  Him,  saying.  Abide  with 
us:  for  it  is  toward  evening,  and  the  day  is  far  spent. 
And  He  went  in  to  tarry  with  them.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  as  He  sat  at  meat  with  them.  He  took  bread,  and 
blessed  it,  and  brake,  and  gave  to  them.  And  their  eyes 
were  opened,  and  they  knew  Him ; and  He  vanished  out 
of  their  sight. 

Jesus’  appear-  ) He  was  seen  of  Cephas.  The  Lord  is 
anoe  to  Peter.  ^ risen  indeed,and  hath  appeared  to  Simon. 

And  they — Clophas  and  his  companion — said  one 
to  another.  Did  not  our  heart  burn  within  us  while  He 
talked  with  us  by  the  way,  and  while  He  opened  to  us 
the  Scriptures? 

And  they  rose  up  the  same  hour,  and  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  found  the  Eleven  gathered  together,  and  them 
that  were  with  them,  saying.  The  Lord  is  risen  indeed, 
and  hath  appeared  to  Simon.  And  they  told  unto  the 
residue  what  things  were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  He 
was  known  of  them  in  breaking  of  bread: 

Neither  believed  they  them. 

The  only  appearances  up  to  midday  were  those  to  Mary 
Magdalene  and  the  women.  Their  statements  were  not 
believed;  and  the  reports  about  the  resurrection  were  not 


58 


THE  HOLY  KESURKEOTION. 


generally  known.  The  two  appearances  mentioned  in 
this  section,  were  at  Emmaus  and  in  Jerusalem,  and  late 
in  the  day  of  this,  the  first  Lord’s  day,  April  9th.  A.  D. 
30.  Emmaus  was  nearly  eight  miles,  or  a two  hours  and 
more  walk  from  Jerusalem.  When  the  two  disciples  ar- 
rived there  the  sun  was  not  far  from  setting.  It  could  not 
have  been  earlier  than  5 o’clock.  If  two  and  one-half 
hours  were  spent  in  the  walk,  it  must  have  been  between 
2 and  3 P.  M.  when  they  left  the  city.  At  that  hour, 
then,  ‘‘the  rest”  of  “our  company”  to  which  these  two 
belonged,  had  no  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  Jesus  had 
arisen.  And  if  in  the  meantime,  Mary  and  the  women 
told  the  disciples,  their  word  was  not  believed.  At 
2 P.  M.  the  only  facts  believed  by  the  disciples  were 
these:  an  empty  sepulchre,  the  Body  gone,  the  grave- 
clothes  orderly  arranged.  Save  to  those  to  whom  He 
had  appeared,  none  believed,  perhaps  had  not  even  a 
thought  of,  Jesus’  resurrection. 

We  return  to  the  narrative,  whose  charming  simplicity 
stamps  it  as  truth.  At  about  2 P.  M.  on  that  day  a name- 
less man^  and  Clophas — who  were  ex  outoon^  of  them^ 
i.e.j  “of  the  rest,”  followers,  but  not  apostles  of  Jesus — 
left  Jerusalem.  This  Olopas  must  not  be  confounded  with 
Oleophas.  The  latter  is  Aramaic;  and  was  the  name  of 
the  husband  of  Mary,  the  mother  of  James  and  Joses, 
and  who  was  at  this  time,  probably,  dead.  The  former 
is  Greek,  and  was  the  name  of  this  follower,  whose  birth- 
place or  home,  say  some  of  the  Fathers,  was  Emmaus. 

[*Epiphanius  (Adv,  § 223),  implies  his  belief  that  Na- 

thaniel  was  the  nameless  one  of  Emmaus’ journey.] 


Eumaus. 


■'A 


r- 


r 


.1 


?- 


■ V 


-Vi: 


o- 


; 


SITE  OF  EMMAUg. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


69 


This  village  was  sixty  stadia^  or  nearly  eight  miles  west 
of  Jerusalem.  It  stood  on  the  border  of  Benjamim,  on 
the  slope  of  vine-clad  hills.  The  way  was  over  hills  and 
through  valleys,  barren  for  some  distance  out  of  the  city, 
and  after  that  glowing  with  the  verdure  of  spring.  The 
white  and  red  blossoms  of  the  almond  trees,  the  tender 
buds  of  the  olive  and  vine,  the  flowers  throwing  oft  their 
fragrance,  the  songs  of  birds,  the  picturesque  and  varie- 
gated scenery,  and  the  historical  incidents  and  facts 
which  made  some  of  the  spots  famous,  all  combined  to 
make  the  walk  a delightful  one.  But  all  this  could  not, 
on  this  day,  interest  these  two,  drive  away  the  deep  sad- 
ness of  .disappointed  hopes,  nor  satisfy  those  who  felt  that 
they  had  lost  Jesus.  All  hope,  as  their  going  away 
shows,  had  been  given  up.  One  thought  occupied  their 
hearts.  ^‘They  talked  together  of  all  those  things  which 
had  happened/’  To  them,  thus  talking  to  each  other.  One 
drew  near,  whom  they  did  not  know.  What  sympathy 
could  He  have  with  their  sorrow?  Curiosity,  not  interest, 
they  thought,  prompted  the  approach.  He  saw  that 
logons  antiballete^  they  were  casting  words^  not  hostile, 
but  friendly,  between  themselves,  each  one  giving 
his  own  views.  They  were  investigating  the  facts  about 
certain  occurrences.  Sad  they  looked.  Sad  they  were. 
The  One  asked  what  was  the  subject  of  discussion  and 
the  cause  of  grief.  And  His  frank  and  friendly  manner 
penetrated  and  opened  their  hearts. 

Jesus  ever  delights  in  reality  and  truthfulness  of 
heart,  and  He  found  them  here.  ‘‘Art  Tliou,”  Clophas 
said, “only  a sojourner  in  Jerusalem,  that  Thou 


60 


THE  HOLY  BESURRECTION. 


art  ignorant  of  the  events  of  the  past  few  days?”  This 
question  shows  that  they  recognized  not  that  face  and 
form.  Mary  supposed  Him  to  be  Joseph’s  gardener. 
These  two  took  Him  to  be  a stranger.  Had  He  made, 
H imself  known  before  He  had,  out  of  the  Scriptures  con- 
vinced them  as  to  the  facts,  His  appearance  would  have 
overpowered  them,  and  made  them  incapable  of  calm 
investigation.  For  this,  or  for  some  other  reason.  He  ap- 
peared to  them  in  “another,”  i.  ^.,  different  form  from 
that  in  which  they  had  last  seen  Him.  One  visible,  but 
not  recognizable,  to  them  incredulous  as  to,  and  not  ex- 
pecting, His  resurrection.  “Their  eyes  were  holden.” 
Jesus’  manifestations  seem  to  have  been  conditioned  by 
the  corresponding  capacity  in  those  to  whom  they  were 
granted.  These  two,  it  seems,  were  not  ready  for  the 
disclosure.  Hence  “their  eyes  were  holden”  by  Him,  so 
“that  they  should  not  know  Him.”  Without  either  af- 
firming or  denying,  He  answers  their  question  by  asking 
another,  “What  things?” 

In  their  answer  they  pour  out  all  their  feelings.  They 
frankly  own  to  their  expectations  and  profound  disa- 
appointment  and  sorrow.  They  designate  Jesus  by  that 
phrase — Jesus  of  Nazareth — so  prominent  in  the  post 
resurrection  narratives.  “He  was  a prophet”  (Matt,  xxi, 
11,  46;  John  iii,  2),  they  said,  “mighty  in  word  and 
deed,  before  God  and  all  the  people.”  His  followers, 
and  we  among  them,  eljpisomen  (imperfect),  did  hope 
estin  ho  melloon  lutroustha%  that  He  it  is  who  was 
about  to  redeem  Israel — ^.  bring  in  that  spiritual 
redemption  th^t  was  promised  hj  the  prophets.  (I^uke 


r*)* 


A ' ; 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


61 


i,  68,  69,  75;  ii,  38;  xxii,  6.)  What  a sad  letting  down, 
giving  away,  dying  out  of  hope,  in  their  words,  ‘‘hopoSy 
and  how  the  chief  priests  and  our  rulers  delivered  Him 
to  be  condemned  to  death,  and  have  crucified  Him,’’ 
which  precede,  but  we  hoped,  &c.  And  besides  all  this, 
triteen  taiiteen  hemeran  ageiy  this  iSy  or,  He  is  in,  the 
third  day  since  these  things  were  done,”  This  remark 
evidently  refers  to  some  well-known  anticipated  event 
which  was  to  occur  in  the  third  day.  They  evidently 
understood  Jesus’  words,  ^^after  three  days  I will  rise 
again,”  to  signify  <^rise  in  the  third  day.”  Most  of  that 
day  had  passed.  He  had  not  risen,  so  far  as  they  knew. 
His  death  had  shaken,  the  failure  of  his  promised  resur- 
rection had  annihilated,  their  faith  and  hope  in  Him  as 
the  promised  Messiah.  ^^But” — they  go  on  to  say — ‘‘cer- 
tain women  of  our  company,  which  were  early  at  the  sep- 
ulchre, greatly  astonished  us  by  their  report.  They  found 
not  the  Body,  but  saw,  so  they  say,  a vision  of  angels — 
whether  they  really  saw  angels,  or  whether  it  was  only 
optasiauy  a vision^  we  cannot  say — which  said  that  He 
was  alive.  Then  certain  men  with  us,  i.  e.y  of  our 
company,  disciples,  but  not  apostles,  went  to  the  sepuh 
chre — a visit  to  the  tomb,  not  elsewhere  spoken  of — “and 
found  it  even  as  the  women  had  said,  hut  Him  they  saw 
noti^^ 

Tliey  had  nothing  more  to  say.  Then  the  Unknown 
speaks,  as  the  Teacher  dealing  with  the  thoughts  and 
affections  of  men — then  as  always  according  to  the  con- 
dition and  need  of  those  addressed.  When  they  were 
in  sorrow.  He  soothed  and  refreshed;  when  in  doubt, 


62 


THE  HOLY  RESHERECTIOlf. 


convinced;  when  in  unbelief,  rebuked  and  enlightened. 
So  now,  having  rebuked  their  unbelief,  He,  as  the  Teacher 
of  men,  led  them  through  the  Scriptures,  till  their  light 
and  warmth  warmed  their  hearts.  They  needed,  and  He 
gave,  restoration  of  soul. 

Passing  by  the  reports,  and  the  recent  facts,  He  goes 
to  the  Scriptures,  and  in  their  light  shows  the  signifi- 
cance, and  gives  explanation,  of  the  historical  events  of 
the  Friday  before.  In  His  exposition  He  shows  Him- 
self the  mighty  Master  of  Scripture  rebuke  and  consola- 
tion, and  lifts  them  out  of  themselves  and  away  from 
the  present  time:  anoeetoiy  O me^ij  wanting  under- 

standing^  unreceptive  on  the  intellectual  side.  Why? 
Because  of  hradeis  tee  Icardia^  unsusceptihility  of  heart. 
The  two  words  comprehend  the  whole  man,  and  express 
its  want  of  susceptibility.  Discouragement  of  heart 
comes  from  a want  of  understanding  of  the  mind;  and 
this  again,  from  a lack  of  light  in  the  heart.  Y ou  want  to 
trust  in  the  eyes  of  yourselves  and  of  others,  in  the  words 
of  angeljB  and  of  men.  You  do  not  understand,  because 
your  heart  hesitates  to  take  in  all  the  Scriptures,  to  be- 
lieve in  what  they  say,  despite  appearances.  Your 
faith  being  one-sided,  is  powerless  to  kindle  light  in 
the  darkness  of  the  soul.  Had  you  inwardly  known, 
and  experienced  the  truth  of  the  prophetic  word,  you 
would  not  have  been  in  perplexity.  Its  light  would  have 
gone  from  the  heart  to  the  head.  A knowledge  of,  and 
confidence  in,  God’s  word,  are  the  all  important  facts. 
This  is  the  great  word  to  us,  and  to  all:  ‘‘Slow  of  heart 
to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken.” 


The  Way  to  Emmaus. 


tHE  HOLY  EESHRRECTiO:^. 


68 


Having  gently  chid  them,  Jesus  went  on  to  show  the 
moral  necessity  of  ton  Christon^  the  Christ  being  a suff- 
ering Christ.  These  things  which  you  mention  as  the 
ground  of  your  doubt  are  necessary  marks  of  the  true 
Messiah.  Had  He  not  thus  suffered,  He  could  not  be 
the  Christ,  nor  enter  into  His  glory — the  glory  that  be- 
longs to  Him  essentially,  and  is  the  due  reward  of  His 
works.  The  two  stand  in  indissoluble  connection,  (1 
Peter  i,  11.)  The  sufferings  involve  the  consequent  resur- 
rection. And  had  you  understood  the  Scriptures  you 
would  have  learned  from  the  empty  grave  that  the  glory 
had  begun. 

Wherefore?  and  how?  must  the  Messiah  suffer  these 
things?  are  questions  which  would  naturally  arise  in 
their  minds;  and  in  His  words  they  have  the  answei. 
The  whole  Scripture  lay  clear  before  His  mind.  Be- 
ginning at  Moses,  He  explained  calmly,  patiently,  fully., 
consecutively,  the  types,  the  history,  the  prophetic  words  ; 
pointed  out  the  relation  and  bearing  of  each  to  all,  and 
the  scope  and  progressive  development  of  all  the  great 
whole  to  the  Christ;  showed  most  clearly  ^‘in  all  the 
Scriptures,’’  ta^  the  things — not  parts  of  Scripture,  but 
‘^the  things” — ‘‘concerning  Himself.”  This  was  a moral 
demonstration.  But  it  had  all  the  wei^rht  and  force  of  a 
mathematical  one.  Every  statement  was  free  from  the 
slightest  discoloration  of^isophism  or  unreality.  Every 
link  was  perfect,  and  was  accurately  and  logically  joined 
to  its  fellows.  The  first  link  was  joined  to  the  eternal 
purpose  of  God,  as  revealed.  The  last  one  attached  itself 
to  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  The  argument  was  faultless  and 


64 


THE  HOLT  RESURRECTION. 


living.  The  conclusion  was  irresistible.  The  inexor- 
able logic  of  facts  fastened  on  the  mind  the  unchangeable 
conviction  that  the  Messiah  ^‘must  be  crucified,  and  must 
rise  again  from  the  dead  the  third  day,”  and  that  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  was  this  Christ.  And  His  method  is  the 
right  one  for  those,  who,  with  hearts  glowing  with  the 
white  light  of  truth,  would  dissipate  darkness  and  doubt. 

As  He  led  them  through  the  spice  groves  of  prophecy, 
and  opened  ear  and  heart  to  the  orchestral  tones  of  the 
promises,  what  fioods  of  light  streamed  into  the  mind! 
What  joy  filled  the  heart!  They  saw  that  Jesus  was 
the  Christ,  and  that  His  sufierings  and  subsequent  resur- 
rection were  alike  an  inevitable  necessity,  and  that  as 
certainly  as  the  sufierings  had  been  a fact,  so  surely  must 
the  resurrection  be  a fact.  The  Scriptures,  opened 
up  and  understood,  had  corrected  mistakes  aud  wrong 
impressions,  had  given  an  intelligent  judgment  as  to 
the  case,  had  dissipated  their  gloom,  had  calmed  their 
hearts.  Yea,  these  filled  with  the  marvellous  energy  of 
His  love,  burned  within  them,  while  He  had  talked  to 
them  by  the  way. 

Unexpectedly  soon  they  reach  the  village.  He,  being 
a stranger,  had  no  right,  uninvited,  to  cross  the  thresh- 
hold  of  their  house.  Prosepoieito^  He  added  to  go 
on^  and  He  would  actually  have  gone  on  had  He  not 

[♦This  verb  was  used  in  classical  Greek  to  pretend.  And  Rob- 
inson gives  tills  definition  of  it  here.  But  the  primary  meaning  is 
add  to  without  any  idea  of  seeming.  It  is  contrary  to  all  the  facts 
of  His  precious  life,  and  not  in  keeping  with  the  dignity  of  His 
character  to  say  that  Jesus  pretended  to  do  what  He  had  no  inten- 
tion of  doing.  The  primary  meaning,  “He  added  to,”  makes  good 
sense,  “He  added  to  go  on.”] 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


65 


been  constrained  by  an  urgent  appeal  to  stay,  lie  was 
ready  to  say  ‘^Good  bye.’’  But  they  were  reluctant  to 
be  separated  from  Him,  to  whom  they  had  been  so  closely 
drawn,  and  who  had  made  their  walk,  which  had  begun 
in  sadness,  to  end  in  joy.  Parebiasanto^  they  compel 
(Luke  xiv,  23;  Acts  xvi,  15)  Him  to  tarry  with  them: 

Abide  with  us;  for  it  is  towards  evening,  and  the  day 
is  far  spent.” 

Accepting  their  invitation.  He  went  in  with  them. 
Ko  word  was  spoken — so  it  seems — after  they  entered. 
They  sat  down  to  supper.  He  acted  as  the  host.  He 
took  the  bread,  blessed,  brake  and  gave  to  them.  Sud- 
denly their  eyes  were  opened — the  same  verb  used  to 
express  the  opening  of  the  understanding  (vs*  45),  and 
Jesus’  opening  of  the  Scriptures  (vs.  32).  That  which 
had  olden  their  eyes”  (vs.  16)  was  removed.  They 
discerned  Jesus  before  them  in  His  resurrection  Body. 
They  know  Him — a fact  showing  that  though  immense- 
ly exalted  by  resurrection.  His  identity  had  not  been 
impaired.  Then — so  soon  as  clearly,  fully  recognized 
— aphantos  egeneto  ap^  autoon^  He  was  invisible  to  them 
His  appearing,  His  allowing  Himself  to  be  recognized, 
and  His  sudden  disappearing,  were  all  mysterious.  But 
though  mysteries,  they  were  facts;  facts  explained  by 
this,  that  the  Body  in  the  course  of,  and  on  its  way  to, 
glorification,  was  completely  controlled  by  the  Spirit. 

This  disappearance,  so  sudden,  so  unexpected,  must 
have  produced  a startling  effect  upon  the  two.  They 
must  have  given  each  other  an  amazed  look.  The  recog- 
nition of  Jesus  was  instant  and  sure.  But  the  impres- 


66 


THE  HOLY  RESURKECTION. 


eion,  wliich  the  discovery  of  this  fact  made  upon  them 
was,  for  a moment,  obscured  by  the  powerful  impression 
which  Jesus’  words  had  made  upon  them:  ‘‘they  said  one 
to  another.  Did  not  our  heart  burn  within  us  while  He 
talked  to  us  by  the  way,  and  while  He  opened  to  us  the 
Scriptures.” 

It  was  now  near,  or  fully,  dark.  But  the  two,  “rising 
up”  at  the  same  time  from  the  table,  and  from  the  grave 
of  doubt  and  despondency,  hastened  back  to  the  city  with 
the  amazing  tidings  that  Jesus  was  alive. 

Some  place  the  appearance  to  Peter  before,  some  after 
that  to  “the  two”  at  Emmaus.  I believe  it  was  after;  and 
this  is  my  ground  for  this  conclusion.  Peter  was  the 
only  one  specially  named  by  the  angel  in  his  message  to 
the  women.  But  that  word  related  to  an  appearing  in 
Galilee.  This  message  he  could  not  have  received  until 
after  his  own  visit  to  the  tomb.  It  must  have  been  near 
noon  when  this  and  the  other  things  were  told  the  Eleven. 
And  the  words  were  to  them  as  idle  tales,  and  they  be- 
lieved not.  Nor  is  there  any  intimation  that  any  apostle 
saw  Jesus  before  the  two  left  for  Emmaus.  Jesus  joined 
them  soon  after  starting,  and  was  with  them  till  near 
evening.  There  seems  no  place  in  the  narratives  for  this 
appearing  until  after  Jesus  left  “the  two”  at  Emmaus.  It 
occurred,  we  think,  during  the  two  hours  in  which  they 
were  returning  to  the  city.  And  this  agrees  with  the  fact 
that  the  first  intimation  to  the  rest,  of  an  appearing  to 
Peter,  was  given  late  in  the  evening.  As  to  the  place 
of  meeting,  and  as  to  what  passed  between  them,  the 


THE  HOLY  RESL  HRECTTON. 


67 


Scriptures  are  j^rofoundly  silent.  It  may  have  been  in 
his  own  home,  or  while  he  was  wandering  about  in  soli- 
tude, agitated  by  conflicting  hopes  and  fears.  But  it 
seems  that  Peter  then  received  pardon  as  a believer,  and 
that  thus  the  way  was  cleared  for  him  to  receive  restorer 
tion  to  the  apostleship  afterwards.  (Johnxxi.)  So  soon 
as  the  interview  ended,  Peter  hastened  at  once  to  the 
apostles,  and  told  them  the  joyful  news. 

This  reanimated  them.  In  the  morning  they  were  a 
scattered,  in  the  evening,  brought  together  by  this  news, 
a gathered  flock.  Happy,  indeed,  was  that  company. 
Soon  as  the  two  entered,  their  ears  were  greeted  with, 
‘‘the  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath  appeared  unto 
Simon.”  Their  word  confirmed  the  fact  of  resurrection. 
But  their  story  was  not  believed.  Understanding  not 
the  properties  of  the  resurrection  Body,  it  seemed  to 
them  incredible  that  Jesus  could  have  appeared  to  them 
‘ towards  evening”  at  Ernmaus,  and  immediately  after, 
between  then  and  their  prompt  return  to  the  city.  He 
could  have  appeared  to  Peter  in  the  city;  and  have  done 
this  long  enough  before  this  meeting,  for  them  to  have 
been  gathered  together  to  rejoice  at  the  glad  news. 
They  believed  that  He  had  appeared  to  Peter;  but  they 
also  believed  that  it  was  not  Himself,  but  His  appari- 
tion that  had  appeared  to  the  two  in  the  village.  (See  Acts 
xii,  15.)  And  this  we  infer  from  the  fact  that  when 
He  did  appear  in  their  midst  they  were  terrifled,  and 
supposed  that  they  had  seen  a spirit. 

To  that  appearance  we  now  turn. 


f)8  THE  HOLT  RESHRRECTIOIT. 

Jesus’  Fifth  Appearance— the  First  Appearance 
TO  THE  Apostles. 

Place,  Jerusalem;  time,  evening  of  the  first  Lord’s  Day,  April  9th, 
A.  D.  30. 

Mark  xvi,  14-18;  Luke  xxiv,  36-49;  John  xx,  19-23;  1 Cor.  xv,  5. 

After  that  He  appeared  unto  the  Eleven — was  seen 
of  the  Twelve. 

Then,  the  same  day  at  evening,  being  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  when  the  doors  were  shut  where  the  disciples 
were  assembled,  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  and  as  they  sat  at 
meat — the  Eleven,  and  them  that  were  with  them — and 
as  they — the  two  disciples  from  Emmaus — thus  spake 
(see  close  of  last  section  of  the  narrative)  came  J esus 
Himself,  (Jesus  appeared)  and  stood  in  the  midst  of 
them,  and  saith  unto  them.  Peace  be  unto  you. 

Effect  upon  the  disciples.]  But  they  were  terrified 
and  affrighted,  and  supposed  that  they  had  seen,  a spirit 

Jesus’  words  to  them.]  And  He  said  unto  them,Why 
are  ye  troubled?  and  why  do  thougbts  arise  in  your 
hearts?  Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet,  that  it  is  I my- 
seif:  handle  me,  and  see;  for  a spirit  hath  not  flesh  and 
bones,  as  ye  see  me  have.  And  when  He  had  thus  spoken 
Shows  His  hand  and  feet.  He  showed  unto  them  His 

Eats  before  them.  hands,  and  His  feet,  and  His  side. 

And  while  they  yet  believed  not  for  joy,  and  wondered. 
He  said  unto  them.  Have  ye  here  any  meat?  And  they 
gave  Him  a piece  of  a broiled  fish  and  of  an  honey-comb. 
And  He  took  it  and  did  eat  it  before  them. 

Impression  of  all  this  upon  the  disciples.]  Then 
were  the  disciples  glad  when  they  saw  the  Lord. 

And  He  upbraided  them  for  their  unbelief  and  hard- 
ness of  heart,  because  they  believed  not  them  which  had 
seen  Him  after  He  was  risen.  Then  He  said  unto  them, 
Jesus  speaks  to  them  again.  These  are  the  words  which 
I spake  unto  you  while  I was  yet  with  you,  that  all  things 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


69 


must  be  fulfilled  which  were  written  of  Me — concerning 
]VIe — in  the  Law  of  Moses,  and  in  the  Prophets,  and  in  the 
Psalms.  And  ye  are  witnesses  of  these  things.  And  be- 
hold I send  the  promise  of  My  Father  upon  you,  but  tar- 
ry ye  in  the  city  ot  Jerusalem  until  ye  be  endowed  with 
power  from  on  high.  Then  saith  He  unto  them  again. 
Peace  be  unto  you:  as  my  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even 
so  send  I you.  And  when  He  had  said  this.  He 
breathed  on  them,  and  saith  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Whose  soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are 
remitted  unto  them:  and  whosesoever  sins  ye  retain 
Breathing  upon  them  Holy  Spirit  \ they  are  retained.  Then 

opens  their  understanding.  ^ opened  He  their  under- 
standing, that  they  might  understand  the  Scriptures, 
and  said  unto  them.  Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  be- 
hoved the  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the  dead  the 
third  day:  and  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
should  be  preached  in  His  name  among  all  nations,  be- 
ginning at  Jerusalem.^ 

The  husteron,  afterwards^  of  Mark,  vs.  14,  refers  to 
meta  de  touta^  of  vs.  12mdtoihe  proton^  firsts  vs.  9. 
Mark’s,  as  John’s,  first  one  was  to  Mary;  the  second  one 
to  the  two  on  their  way  to  Emmaus;  the  third  was  this 
one  in  the  evening,  which  is  also  narrated  by  Luke  and 
John,  When  John  says  this  is  now  the  third  time 
Jesus  showed  Himself  to  His  disciples  (xxi,  14),  he 
passes  by  the  appearance  to  Mary,  which  he  also  fully 

[*We  have  put  in  vss.  44-49,  of  Luke.  But  we  ought  to  remark 
that  the  repetition  of  “He  said,”  vss.  44,  46,  suggests  that  Luke  here 
combines,  perhaps,  the  last  sayings  of  Jesus  without  respect  to  the 
exact  time  when  spoken.  Part  were  clearly  spoken  on  the  first 
day.  But  part  may  not  have  been  spoken  until  the  day  of  Ascen- 
sion. (See  Godet  on  Luke.] 


70  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

gives,  and  refers  to  the  two  previous  appearances  to  the 
apostles  on  the  first,  and  succeeding.  Lord’s  Day  even- 
ings. And  again,  this  appearance  to  the  Eleven  was 
really  the  fifth  one  on  that  day.  The  first  one  was  at 
the  sepulchre  to  Mary;  the  second  one  to  one  group  of 
women  immediately  after,  while  they  were  on  their  way 
from  the  sepulchre  to  the  city;  the  third  one  to  the  two 
on  the  way  to,  and  at,  Emmaus;  the  fourth  one  to  Peter 
in  the  city,  perhaps  at  the  tomb;  and  this,  the  fifth  one, 
was  in  the  evening,  and  in  a house  in  the  city.  0 usees 
cun  opsias  tee  hemeera  ekeinee  te£  mia  toon  sabbaioon 
theeroon  kleismenoon.  ‘‘beincr  evening:  therefore  on  that 
day  the  first  of  the  week,  and  the  doors  being  shut,  &c.” 
John  says  the  doors  were  shut  for  fear  of  the  Jews.  In 
that  room  were^  ‘^the  apostles,”  called  by  Mark  ‘‘the 
Eleven,”  by  Luke  and  by  Paul  (1  Cor.  xv,  5),  “the 
Twelve” — “and  others  with  them  ” (Lukexxiv,34.)  These 
were  those  whom  Jesus  had  drawn  and  united  to  Him- 
self. Recognizing  Him  as  the  Messiah,  and  Son  of  God, 
they  had  a most  profound  reverence  for  His  Person,  and 
implicit  confidence  in  His  salvation.  From  them  He 
chose  His  apostles,  and  thus  laid  the  foundation  of  His 
church  (Epli.  i,  20).  They  had  been  witnesses  of  His 
works  and  words,  of  His  life  and  death,  and  were,  as 
those  who  were  to  His  witnesses  to  the  world,  now  to 
become  witnesses  of  His  resurrection.  The  apostles 
primarily,  but  not  alone.  For  it  is  most  important  to 

[*  “Assembled,”  in  J ohn  xx,  1 9,  is  a recent  insertion.  It  is  omitted 
by  Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  Tregelles,  Wescott,  Lange,  Afford  and 
Godet.] 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


71 


notice  that  the  narratives  suggest  no  distinction,  as  made 
by  Jesus,  between  the  apostles  and  the  ‘‘them  that  were 
with  them,”  in  any  word  He  spoke,  or  any  act  He  did 
at  that  time.  In  these  each  and  all  shared  equally. 
Nothing  conferred  upon  the  apostles  was  withheld  from 
the  rest.  And  in  John  xiii,  16-20,  Luke  xxii,  16,  the 
same  comprehension  is  seen. 

This  seems  to  have  been  the  first  time  that  they  gath^ 
ered  together  since  they  had  been  scattered, panic-stricken, 
by  Jesus’  arrest  and  condemnation.  Up  to  that  day  it 
had  been  all  bewilderment,  helplessness,  uneasiness  of 
spirit.  Their  courage  had  been  somewhat  revived.  All 
who  could  be  trusted  and  collected,  were  folded  together 
as  the  family  of  God.  They  had  met  to  talk  about  the 
perplexing  events  of  that  day.  Some  rays  of  light  were 
struggling  with  the  darkness.  They  had  these  un- 
doubted facts:  the  sepulchre  was  open,  the  guard  had  dis- 
appeared, the  grave  clothes  were  in  orderly  arrangement 
in  the  tomb,  and  the  Bod|v  was  gone.  They  had  the 
marvellous  experiences  of  some  women  of  their  number. 
But  these  seemed  to  them  incredible.  To  this  was  ad- 
ded Peter’s  extraordinary  statement  that  Jesus  had 
actually  appeared  to  him.  The  two  from  Emmaus  had 
entered  in  the  midst  of  the  intense  excitement  caused 
by  Peter's  story,  and  increased  it  by  their  own  still  more 
extraordinary  recital.  The  seeming  impossibility  of 
two  appearances  succeeding  each  other  in  places  so  far 
apart,  cast  in  their  minds  a doubt  over  this  story.  Eager 
they  were,  but  from  the  testimony  thus  far  adduced  una- 
ble, to  believe  in  the  actual  restoration  to  life  of  the  dead 


72 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


Kedeemer.  To  this  uncertainty  add  the  fear  of  the  Jews, 
and  the  darkness  of  the  future,  and  you  can  readily  see 
in  what  a perplexed  and  agitated  condition  of  mind  they 
were.  To  a company  so  honest,  truth-loving,  anxious 
for,  and  ready  to  welcome  the  right  evidence  with  joy, 
and  yet  frightened  and  skeptical,  nothing  but  the  strong- 
est evidence  would  answer  to  dissipate  doubt,  and  give 
intelligent  and  calm  conviction.  If  J esus  was  risen.  He 
must  of  necessity  have  the  stigmata  of  the  crucified. 
Nothing  short  of  this  evidence  could  satisfy  their  reason- 
able doubts.  To  them  this  evidence  was  given.  And 
it  was  so  victorious  over  all  doubts  and  disbeliefs,  that 
they  became  the  heralds  of  His  resurrection. 

The  first  manifestation  of  Jesus’  glorification  was  His 
resurrection.  By  the  Spirit  H.e  had  offered  His  flesh — 
‘^which  He  gave  for  the  life  of  the  world” — which  had 
held  Him  bound  to  this  world,  and  like  the  veil  of  the 
Temple,  had  separated  Him  from  His  God  (Heb.  x,  20; 
ix,  9.)  By  the  death,  which  had  accomplished  atonement^ 
His  Body  had  been  broken,  and  thus  the  total  fulness 
of  The  Spirit  which  He,  at  His  baptism,  had  received 
to  dispense,  could  flow  out.  He  had,  in  dying,  laid  down 
His  sin-burdened,  suffering,  sorrowing  life — that  life 
which,  in  the  present  condition  of  man’s  nature,  had  its 
determination  by  the  state  in  which  man  lives.  During 
life.  His  Body  had  been,  by  degrees,  and  by  the  indwelL 
ing  Spirit,  spiritualized.  He  had  received  the  assurance 
that  it  should  not  see  corruption.  Having  passed 
through  death,  it  was  quickened  by  The  Spirit,  and  be- 
came, in  resurrection,  a spiritual  Body.  In  rising.  He 


THE  HOLY  RESUR-KECTION. 


73 


got  back  His  own  life,  a supernatural  life,  which  included 
in  it  the  whole  life  in  soul  and  body,  which  He  now  has 
in  Heaven,  and  egeneto^  hecame  a guickening  Spirit, 
capable  of  imparting  resurrection  life  to  both  body  and 
soul.  (John  V.) 

It  was  as  possessed  of  this  Body  and  power  that  He 
now  appeared  to  His  disciples.  They  were  sitting  on 
the  couches  around  the  table.  Apparently  they  were 
trying  by  iteration  and  re-iteration  of  the  phrase  ^‘the 
Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath  appeared  unto  Simon,’’  to 
convince  themselves  of  the  fact.  But  iteration  could 
not  disturb  the  warmth  of  the  burning  hearts  from 
Emmaus.  While  this  was  going  on,  as  suddenly  and  as 
unexpectedly  as  He  had  appeared  to  Peter,  as  suddenly 
and  as  unexpectedly  as  all  His  appearances  and  disappear- 
ances after  His  resurrection  were.  He,  the  Kisen  Man, 
now  suddenly  ephaneroothee^  appeared  (Mark,  vs.  14), 
in  their  midst.  This  verb  is  employed  descriptively  of  the 
appearances  of  Jesus.  It  expresses  the  fact  that  they  were 
those"*  of  an  exalted  Being.  They  invariably  awakened 
within  the  apostles  a feeling  of  awe  and  dread  which 
even  the  joy  could  not  overcome.  At  this  time  the 
doors  were,  and  remained,  shut.  There  was  no  other 
way  of  bodily  access.  Yet  the  Elder  Brother  eeltlien^  came 
(John,  vs.  19) — the  verb  expresses  motion  into  the 
room^ — how?  none  knew:  whence?  none  could  tell.  He 
came  not  announced  by  any  sight,  or  sound.  During 
life  His  Body  was  so  subject  to  The  Spirit  that  He  could 


[*  This  is  not  inconsistent  with  the  foot  note  on  page  39.] 


74 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTIOK. 


walk  upon  the  water,  and  be  transfigured.  Now  it  was 
so  completely  pervaded  and  controlled  by  Him  that  it 
could  enter  a room  whose  doors  were  shut.  He  came — 
a partial  fulfillment  of  John  xvi,  22 — ladened  with  the 
fruits  of  holy  sorrow  and  suftering  for  them.  Estee^  He 
stood^  en  mesoo  autoon  (Luke,  vs.  36),  eis  to  meson 
(John,  vs.  19),  in  the  midst  of  them^  and  said,  ‘‘Shalom 
Lashem^  eireene  humin^  Peace  he  unto  youP 

This,  His  first  word  to  them,  after  His  resurrection 
— His  Easter  greeting — was  the  usual  Jewish  greeting. 
But  how  immensely  deeper  its  meaning  here!  Before 
His  death  He  had  said,  ‘‘Peace  I leave  with  you.”  By 
His  death  He  had  secured,  and  now  was  rewarded  by,  the 
fulness  of  this  same  peace.  He  can,  and  does,  with  the 
greeting,  impart  the  gift:  “By  peace  let  your  hearts  be 
filled.  Let  all  fear  and  anxiety  give  place  to  instant, 
full  and  permanent  divine  repose.  I live.  And  be- 
cause I live,  you  live  also.  Open  your  hearts  to  receive 
the  peace  made  for,  and  secured  to  you,  by  My  death, 
and  which  1,  your  Risen  Master,  bring.” 

But  this  assuring  word,  coming  as  it  did  from  the 
well  known  voice,  did  not  at  once  dissipate  the  terror 
which  His  unexpected  appearance  had  inspired.  They 
had  witnessed  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus.  But  he  had 
come  forth  with  his  natural  body  unchanged.  But  this 
appearance  was  according  to  the  laws  regulating  the  res- 
urrection body.  And  with  these  laws  they  had  no  experi- 
mental acqijaintance.  They  had  never  seen  a spiritual 
body.  The  thought  of  one  ever  being  on  earth,  and 
visible  to  men,  was  far  from  their  ordinary  thinking. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


76 


They  could  not  grasp  the  idea,  so  it  seems,  of  J esus  thus 
coming  forth.  They  had  not  hence,  been  able  to  believe 
what  had  been  told  them  on  that  day.  And  now,  when 
they  saw  Him  before  them,  they  could  have  no  other 
thought  than  this:  that  this  appearance  was  — not 
pTiantasm/iy  an  apparition  (Matt,  xiv,  26 ; Mark  vi,  49), 
but  pneuma  (Luke  xxiv,  37),  a spirit — a bodiless  spirit 
from  Hades  appearing  in  the  form  of  Jesus.  And  the, 
sight  of  one  from  the  abode  of  the  dead  was  enough  to 
terrify  them  as  it  did. 

‘^They  supposed  that  they  had  seen  a spirit.”  And 
this  supposition  may  be  accounted  for,  from  (a)  what 
the  two  had  said,  and  (b)  from  Jesus’  manner  of  enter- 
ing; (it  seemed  to  them  impossible  for  a body  to  enter 
as  His  had  done);  and  (c)  from  the  fact  of  the  existence 
of  the  spirits  of  those  once  living,  as  disembodied,  sep- 
arate, living  and  active.  This  last  fact  Jesus  recognized 
and  assumed  in  His  ‘‘a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as 
ye  see  Me  have.”  It  may  be  seen,  but  cannot  be  felt. 
And  having  that  horror  of  bodiless  spirits,  which  is 
natural,  they  were  terrifled. 

‘‘Why,”  said  He,  “are  you  agitated  in  mind?  Why  do 
dialogismoi  en  tais  Jcardiais^  inward  disputings^  criti- 
cal questionings^  (Luke  ix,  46;  Phil,  ii,  14;  1 Tim.  ii,  8), 
take  the  place  in  your  hearts  of  prompt  and  thorough 
recognition?”  Idete^  loohy  carefully  investigate^  “handle 
Me,  and  see.”  His  object  was  to  convince  them  by  the 
senses  of  seeing,  hearing  and  feeling,  that  the  body,  once 
slain,  was  really  alive  again,  and  had  become  a spiritual 
Body.  Then  He  showed  them  His  hands  and  feet,  and  side. 


76 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


And  when  they  saw  the  wounds,  which  He  carries  still, 
memorials  forever  visible  to  the  redeemed  (Eev.  v,  6) 
evidences  of  that  identity  which  He  asserted — ^‘It  is  I 
MyselP’ — and  proofs  of  the  accomplishment  of  His  aton- 
ing work,  and  of  His  victory  over  death,  they  were  con^ 
vinced.  This  consciousness  of  identity  conclusively 
shows  the  restoration  of  that  life  which  had  ceased  at 
His  death.  And  its  commencing  glorification  is  seen 
in  this,  that  He  could  instantly  pass  from  place  to  place, 
and  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  appear  in  a room  whose 
doors  were  shut.  He  is  conscious  that  He  is  not  the 
same,  for  He  says,  ^^while  I was  yet  with  you’’ — and  yet 
that  He  is  the  same — for  in  the  full  and  sublime  con- 
sciousness of  identity.  He  said,  handle  Me,  and  see: 
a spirit  hath  not  fiesh  and  bones,  as  ye  see  Me  have.” 
And  they  handled  Him  (1  John  i,  1,  5.) 

Still  they  hesitated,  not,  however,  now,  from  doubt, 
but  from  excess  of  wonder  and  joy.  To  their  revived  faith. 
He  said.  Have  you  here  hroosimon^  anything  to  eat?  They 
gave  Him  from  the  meal  already  ended  perhaps,  a piece 
of  a optou^  roasted  fish,  and — if  the  word  be  genuine — 
of  a honey-comb.'^  He  took  them,  and  ate  them  before 
them.  This  action  demonstrated  the  reality  of  His 
Body,  as  the  scars  in  it  did  its  identity  with  that  body 
which  had  served  Him  during  life,  and  had  hung  upon 
the  cross.  In  a higher  condition  than  formerly,  and  spir- 
itual it  was,  but  not  yet  glorified.  It  was  in  a transition 

[*“And  of  a honey-comb”  is  wanting  in  Sin.  Yat.  Alex.  Stier  is 
in  doubt.  Alford  brackets,  but  remarks,  “they  could  hardly  have 
been  an  interpolation.”  Lange  retains  them.] 


TOE  HOLY  KESURKECTION.  77 

state,  and  on  its  way  to  glory.  It  hence,  possessed  the 
attributes,  partly,  of  both  states.  It  could  eat,  yet  pass 
through  a shut  door.  We  have  no  experience  of  this  tran- 
sition state.  We  cannot,  hence,  form  a clear  conception 
of  it.  But  we  can  grasp  the  fact  of  its  existence  as  sure- 
ly as  we  can  the  fact  that  angels  ate,  and  that  we,  in  our 
glorified  bodies,  shall  eat  bread  in  the  kingdom  to  come. 
(Gen.  xvli;  xix;  Matt,  xxvi,  29;  Luke  xxii,  16-18.) 

Thus  Jesus  g^ve  them  an  ample  opportunity  to  exer- 
cise their  senses  intelligently,  variously  and  sufficently, 
upon  the  question  of  the  reality  of  His  presence  with 
them  alive,  and  in  His  resurrection  Body.  They  heard, 
and  knew  His  voice.  They  saw,  and  handled  His  form. 
They  saw  Him  eat  common  food  before  them.  Their 
doubts  were  removed.  Their  minds  were  tranquilized. 
They  were  glad,  for  they  saw  the  Lord. 

Having  assured  them  of  His  identity,  personal  reality 
and  presence,  and  having  seen  them  glad  because  they 
saw  Him,  and  having  upbraided  them  for  their  unbelief 
and  hardness  of  heart,  in  not  believing  the  word  of  them 
who  had  seen  Him  after  He  was  risen.  He  gave  them  a 
foundation  for  their  faith  in  the  reality  and  certainty  of 
His  resurrection,  more  stable  than  even  His  appearance. 

1st — He  points  out  His  resurrection,  and  the  distinc- 
tion between  His  past,  and  His  present  and  future  rela- 
tions to  them:  ^‘These  are  the  words  which  I spak^  unto 
you  while  I was  yet  with  This  word  shows  that 

in  His  own  mind,  and  in  factjUis  disseveration  from 
this  scene  of  mortality,  and  from  all  ordinary  intercourse 
with  His  disciples,  was  complete.  And  it  is  further  a 


78  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTiON. 

distinct  declaration  of  the  new  relation  which  He  sus- 
tains to  the  world,  and  to  individual  believers  and  the 
church,  in  all  ages.  He  is  with  them,  and  yet  the  sep- 
aration is  as  great  as  is  the  distance  between  mortality 
and  resurrection. 

2d — He  declares  that  during  His  pre-resurrection  life 
He  had  often  spoken  to  them  these  words:  ^‘that  all 
things  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the  Prophets, 
and  in  the  Psalms  concerning  Himself,  must  be  ful- 
filled ” (Comp.  Matt,  xvi,  21;  xvii,  22;  xx,  14;  Mark 
viii,  31;  ix,  22,  &c.)  And  here,  as  in  His  talk  to  the 
two  disciples  on  their  way  to  Em  mans.  He  distinctly 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  reality  of  His  sufferings,  death 
and  resurrection  in  the  ^^necessity’’  of  those  Scriptures. 
These  must  be  because  God  had  long  before  so  declared 
in  the  Scriptures.  And  these  must  be  fulfilled. 

3d — He  then  said  unto  them  a second  time,  ^‘Peace 
be  unto  you.”  This  word,  when  spoken  on  His  entrance, 
was  to  them  as  believers,  and  for  their  personal  comfort, 
Now,  it  had  regard  to  them  as  witnesses.  Before  they 
could  be  the  preachers  of  the  perfect  peace  which  the 
Gospel  brings,  they  must  be  filled  with  it,  as,  to,  and 
by,  the  facts  which  they  were  to  ])roclaim.  This  they 
now  receive.  Then  He  gave  the  first  part  of  His  com- 
mission: “In  like  manner  as  the  Father  hath  sent  Me’* 
— strictly  speaking,  the  one  only  apostle  (Heb.  iii,  1) — 
^^out  from  heaven,”  so  I,  “in  the  Kingdom  of  resurrec- 
tion and  reconciliation,”  send  you  “out  of  it  into  the 
world  into  which  I was  sent,  and  out  of  which  I went 
by  death.  I send  you  with  equal  authority,  and  to  the 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


79 


same  great  end,  i,  to  go,  and  bear  witness  to  Me, 
through  the  manifestation  of  Myself  living  in  you,  as 
the  Father  sent  Me  to  testify  of  Him,  and  manifested 
Himself  in  Me.  I send  you  to  live,  act,  suffer  in  the 
world,  as  I have  done.’’ 

For  this  mission  and  work  He  had  been  anointed.  All 
that  He  had  done,  said  and  suffered,  had  been  under  the 
guidance  and  by  the  power  of  The  Spirit.  He  was  now 
tJie  Kisen  Son  of  Man.  But  though  standing  on  res- 
urrection ground.  He  no  more  now,  than  during  life? 
acts  independently  of  The  Spirit.  Through  Him 
now,  and  during  the  ^‘forty  days”  He  gave  command- 
ments to  the  apostles  whom  He  had  chosen,  and  spake 
to  them  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  Kingdom  of  Grod. 
(Acts  i,  4,  5.)  Partakers,  as  are  all  His  people,  of  His 
grace,  and  hereafter  to  be  of  His  glory  (for  His  love  im- 
pelled, His  promise  obliged  Him  to  ask  this  for  them, 
John  xvii),  they  must  personally  experience  that  it  is 
the  blessedness  of  man  to  live,  act  and  speak  by  The 
Spirit.  Witnesses  of  His  life,  and  now  of  His  resurrec- 
tion and  recipients  of  His  testimonies,  they  must  become 
His  messengers  to  the  world,  as  the  free  and  intelligent 
organs  of  the  holy  life  of  the  Personal  God.  And  fur- 
ther, as  united  to  Him  vitally,  and  as  spiritual,  they 
are  to  become  reservoirs  through  which  the  living 
waters  must  flow  forth.  All  this  could  be  only  by  and 
after  each  one  had  been  anointed  and  fllled  with  The 
Spirit  from  Him,  as  He  had  been  from  the  Father. 
Hence,  having  spoken  the  second  word  of  peace.  He  pro  • 
ceeded  to  an  act  which  showed  His  immediate  access  to 


THE  HOLY  EESURRECTION. 


80 

the  human  spirit,  His  absolute  control  over  it,  His 
ability  to  fill  it  completely  with  the  fulness  of  God,  and  to 
adjust  its  vision,  and  give  it  spiritual  discernment.  He, 
the  Hisen  One,  standing  in  (1  Tim.  iii,  18),  and  redolent 
of,  The  Spirit,  enephuseese^  breathed  upon  them,  saying, 
“ receive  ye  Holy  Spirit.’’  This  act  and  word  showed  that 
The  Spirit,  who,  during  His  own  sad  and  suffering  life, 
had  been  given  Him  for  His  own  use,  was  now  through 
His  atonement,  set  free.  The  disciples  were  not  only 
thus  made  partakers  of  His  resurrection  life,  but  also 
of  The  Spirit.  The  breathing  was  an  act  of  divine  and 
sovereign  power.  This  verb  is  used  in  Gen.  ii,  7(LXX) 
to  express  the  action  of  God  in  imparting  life  and  spirit 
to  man.  God’s  breath  of  life,  that  is,  Ituach^  The  Spirit 
of  God  in  His  actual  Personality,  breathed  into  man’s 
nostrils  the  breath  of  life  (Job  xxxiii,  7;  Is.  xlii,  2),  and 
man  became  a conscious,  self-revealing  soul.  Such  an 
in-breathing  never  occurs  as  the  act  of  man.  And  this 
act,  so  direct,  so  real  and  so  eflScacious,  shows  that  Jesus 
was  God  as  well  as  Man.  The  breathing  into  was  the  vehi- 
cle for  the  bestowment  and  reception  of  what  took  place  in 
the  act.  As  there  was  by  that  breathing  an  actual  impart- 
ing to,  and  an  actual  receiving  by,  Adam,  of  life  from  the 
Creator,  so  by  this,  of  actual  Spirit  from  the  Hisen  One. 
They  actually  shared  in  the  higher  life  to  which  He  had 
been  raised,  and  actually  also  received  The  Spirit.  They, 
thus  became  consciously  spiritual  men — the  first  fruits  of 
the  new  creation,  of  which  Jesus  is  the  Head,  which  sanc- 
tifies and  completes  the  natural  creation  of  which  Jesus 
is  the  Maker.  Thus  The  Spirit  became  to  them,  thus 


THE  HOLY  HESURRECTIOlsr. 


81 

ouly  can  He  become  to  any,  the  in-dwelling  Sf)Irit.  Tliis 
in-dwelling  was  then,  and  must  ever  be,  the  prelude  of, 
and  a preparation  for,  the  fulness.  What  Pentecost  was 
to  Ascension,  this  in-breathing  was  to  Eesurrection^ 
And  thus,  then,  and  thus  ever  only,  can  He  ever  be  the 
ever-present,  ever-living  Witness,  and  His  in-dwelling 
and  fulness  the  only  ever  convincing  and  conclusive 
testimony  to  the  generations  of  men  of  the  fact  and 
power  of  Jesus’  resurrection.  The  historical  fact  may 
be  received  upon  historical  testimony.  But  the  signifi- 
cance and  power  of  the  fact  can  be  appreciated,  and  work 
its  own  true  effect  upon  the  consciousness  of  men,  only 
when,  and  as  testified  to  by  those  who  have  felt  the  same, 
and  testify  to  it  in  the  power  of  The  Spirit.  For,  without 
this  in-breathing,  man  has  no  more  power  or  inclination 
to  speak  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  save  as  a bare  his- 
torical fact,  than  had  the  clay  formed  into  man  at  first, 
to  act  before  the  in-breathing  took  place.  Those  and 
those  only  who  have  been  made  partakers  of  the  resur' 
rection  life  by  the  in-dwelling,  and  of  power  to  testify 
by  the  in-filling  of,  The  Spirit,  can  speak  of  the  fact  by 
the  authority  of  the  Risen  Lqrd^  and  with  divine  and 
convincing  power  and  assurance  to  man.  And  it  is 
this  (and  nothing  less  can  do  it),  that  invests  the  testify- 
ing work  of  Spirit-indwelt  believers  with  such  awful 
responsibilities.  For  what  they  speak  is  the  direct  tes- 
timony of  God;  and  the  issues  depending  upon  its  recep- 
tion or  rejection  are  momentous,  because  eternal. 

4th — By  this  act  of  inbreathing  He  opened  their  un- 
derstanding. The  verd,  dianoigoo  signifies  to  open^  so 


tHE  aOLY  REStJRRECTlOjT. 


S2 

as  to  admit  a person  or  thing,  otherwise  shut  out;  as, 
open  gates,  to  admit  entrance;  ears,  to  admit  hearing; 
eyes,  to  admit  light  (Mark  vii,  33,  36;  Luke  xxiv,  31: 
Acts  xvi,  14.)  He  opened  the  understanding,  that  they 
might  sunienai^  join  together  in  the  mind,  compare, 
comprehend  and  see  clearly,  the  Scriptures,  in  their  im- 
port, scope,  connection  and  significance.  Thus  were 
they  enabled  to  pass,  not  over,  but  througli,  the  letter  to 
the  spirit,  to  understand  the  divine  teaching  concern- 
ing Jesus  and  His  resurrection,  to  trace  the  sequences  of 
things,  and  see  how,  of  necessity,  they  must  occur,  see 
in  the  prophecies  the  roots  of  the  facts  of  His  death  and 
resurrection,  and  consciously,  and  with  continual  fresh- 
ness, realize  the  threefold  conviction  of  sin,  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment.  Henceforth,  the  book  was  to 
them  unsealed— type  of  that  action  by  which,  hereafter, 
the  veil  will  be  taken  away  from  Israel  1 Cor.  iii, 
16-18. 

This  is  a statement  of  unspeakable  value.  It  is  a 
declaration  that  by  The  Spirit’s  action  alone  can  the 
understanding  be  opened  so  that  one  can  understand 
the  Scriptures,  that  the  sword  of  The  Spirit  is  the  Word 
ot  God,  and  that  this  expounded,  illustrated  and  en- 
forced by  the  tongue  of  fire,  is  the  only  weapon  entrusted 
to  the  church  to  use.  This  Word  is  the  vehicle  by  which 
truth,  and  Jesus  Himself,  comes  into  the  soul.  By  its 
own  force  it  must  overcome  the  prejudice  and  hostility 
which  it  meets.  To  convince  the  understanding  and  in- 
telligence, it  must  be  spoken,  not  by  ignorant  or  hesitat- 
ing witnesses  (for  this,  like  a trumpet’s  uncertain  sound, 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


83 


could  only  distract),  but  by  witness  of  understanding 
and  intelligence.  To  move  the  heart  it  must  be  spoken 
with  assurance,  power  and  tenderness.  To  arouse  the 
conscience  to  profound  conviction,  it  must  be  announced 
with  the  profound  conviction  of  its  vital  importance. 
And  to  change  the  soul  in  its  receivings  and  actings,  it 
must  be  brought  into  it  by  the  power  of  The  Spirit. 
For  this  vitally  indispensable  prerequisite  to  success  in 
convincing  men  of  the  reality  and  power  of  Jesus’  resur- 
rection, the  disciples  were  prepared  by  this  inbreathing, 
and  opening  of  the  understanding.  They  had  now  the 
power  to  move  the  soul.  They  had  also  a true  spiritual 
insight  into  the  Word  of  God.  It  was  revealed  to  them 
anew.  They  saw  its  meaning  and  force.  Truth  rose 
before  their  minds  in  all  its  clear  simplicity  and  awful 
majesty.  Jesus’  profound,  far-reaching  words  were  seen 
in  all  their  divine  proportions  and  significance.  The 
naturally  unimaginable  mercy  of  God  shown  in  saving 
men  through  the  vicarious  sufferings  and  death  of  One 
became  a living,  glorious  and  powerful  reality — the  basis 
on  which  they  could  preach  ‘‘repentance  and  remission 
of  sins”  to  the  world. 

To  the  Apostles,  these  acts  and  words  were  a solemn 
confirmation  and  sealing  to  their  apostolic  office  and 
work.  But  in  the  inbreathing,  and  the  opening  of  the 
understanding,  those  “that  were  with  them”  equally 
shared.^  The  narratives  make  no  exception.  The  whole 
assembly  shared  in  all  the  bestowments;  personally,  and 

[*A  comparison  of  Luke  xxiv,  53,  with  John  xx,  22-24,  shows 
this  fact.] 


84 


THfi  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


as  representatives  of  the  church  in  all  ages.  One  fact 
may  remove  any  hesitancy  upon  this  point.  By  such 
only  as  have  the  imparted  insight,  and  power  of  dis- 
cerning spirits,  can  sins  be  declared  remitted  or  re- 
tained. This  can  come  only  from  the  deep  personal  ex- 
perience. Insight  and  power  are  not  the  prerogatives  of 
office  or  position,  but  the  heritage  of  all  believers 
(2  Cor.  xii.  10;  1 John  iv.  1;  Acts  v,ll;  xiii,  31;  xiii, 
9 &c.)  When,  afterwards,  the  authority  to  preach  was 
given,  none  of  Jesus’  followers  present  were  excepted. 
All  could  so  tell  the  facts  and  truths  experimentally 
known,  that  others  could  experimentally  know  them  too; 
and  thus  the  word  become  unto  them,  if  received  by  faith, 
^‘a  savor  of  life  into  life”  (and  this  includes  sins  remit- 
ted), or,  it  rejected,  “of  death  unto  death”  (and  this  is 
sins  sealed).  The  disciples,  as  organs  of  The  Spirit, 
could  discern  the  effect  of  the  word,  and  speak  accord- 
ingly. They  could  say  to  those  believing,  “your  sins 
have  been  remitted”  {Greek\  to  the  others,  “your  sins 
are  retained.”  Thus  they  could  loose,  or  bind,  remove^ 
or  seal,  sins:  “Whosoever  sins  ye  remit,  they  have  been 
remitted,  and  whosoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained. 
This  was  true  then,  this  is  true  to-day,  of  all  Spirit-in- 
dwelt  believers.  And  this  invests  their  position  with 
an  awful  grandeur  and  responsibility. 

\ 5th — Having  “opened  the  understanding  to  under- 
stand the  Scriptures,”  Jesus  proceeded  to  expound  these 
to  them — perhaps  in  a similar  way  to  that  in  which  He 
had  done  this  unto  “the  two”  on  that  afternoon  (Luke, 
|xxiv,  46;  comp.  vss.  26,  27.)  Using  the  verb  which  He 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  85 

constantly  used,  when  speaking  of  the  moral  necessity 
in  which  His  work  and  sufferings  were  rooted,  He  said 
^‘Edei^  it  is  necessary  that  outoos^  thus^  in  this  man- 
ner, ton  Christen^  the  Christy  i.e.,  of  prophecy,  should  (a) 
suffer,  and  (b)  be  raised  from  the  dead  the  third  day; 
and  (c)  that  in  the  name  of  this  Christ  repentance  and  re- 
mission of  sins  should  be  preached  (d)  among  all  nations, 
beginning  at  Jerusalem.  Subsequently^  He  said,  ‘‘Ye 
are  witnesses  of  these  things.  Behold,  I send  the  prom- 
ise of  My  Father  upon  you,  In  Jerusalem,  ye  shall  be 
endued  with  power  from  on  high.  And  this  power, 
which  was  to  be  given  to  the  witnesses  from  age  to  age, 
would  work  in  human  minds  and  hearts  a conviction  as 
to  the  reality,  and  a true  understanding  as  to  the  import, 
of  these  facts.  Thus  the  argument  becomes  complete 
in  the  human  consciousness.  Repentance  and  remis- 
sion of  sins  on  the  ground  of  these  facts  could  not  be 
preached,  much  less  experienced,  unless  the  facts  them- 
selves were  realities.  And  these  facts  were  not  some- 
thing abnormal,  but  occurrences  that  ‘^must  (a)  from 
the  nature  of  things;  (b)  from  the  fact  that  centu- 
ries before  it  was  thus  written  in  the  Book  of  God. 

Ho  proclamation  of  repentance  and  remission  of  sins, 
based  upon  Jesus’  death  and  resurrection,  had  yet  been 
made.  But  the  Risen  One  declared  that  it  would  be 
made,  first  in  Jerusalem,  and  then  after  that  among  all 

[* Although  it  cannot  be  positively  asserted,  the  probabilities  are 
that  the  words  “Ye  are  witnesses, &c.,”  (Luke,  vss.  48,  49)  were 
spoken  upon  the  day  of  Jesus’  ascension.  But  because  of  its  con- 
nection with  the  preceding  verses,  we  treat  it  here.] 


86 


THE  HOLY  RESURREOTIOH. 


nations.  Forty  days  after  this,  in  Jerusalem,  and  ever 
since,  among  the  nations,  has  this  prophecy  been  in  the 
process  of  fulfillment.  No  instruction  of  man  could 
show  one  how,  and  no  power  of  man  could  compel  one 
to  thus  preach.  This  must  be  a matter  of  personal 
conviction.  Nor  could  human  power  work  conviction  in 
the  human  consciousness  from  age  to  age,  that  the  things 
announced  were  actual  facts.  The  active  agency  of  God 
must  be  admitted.  Thus  only  can  the  fact  that  these 
are  received  as  facts  in  the  human  consciousness,  be  ex- 
plained. The  living  proclamation  is  an  ever-present, 
living  and  conclusive  testimony  to  the  fact  that  Jesus 
is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  who  died  for  our  sins,  and 
who  rose  again. 

Jesus'  Sixth  Appearance-to  Thomas. 

Time:  Lord’s  Day,  April  16th,  A.  D.  30. 

Place;  Jerusalem.  In  the  upper  room,  perhaps,  where  the  Supper 

had  been  instituted,  this  and  the  fifth  appearance  were  given. 

John  XX,  24-39. 

But  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus  (the 
twin),  was  not  with  them  when  Jesus  came— i.^.,  unto 
the  company  on  the  night  of  April  9th. 

The  other  disciples  therefore  said  unto  him.  We  have 
seen  the  Lord. 

Incredulity  of  Thomas.J  But  he  said  unto  them. 
Except  I shall  see  (I  see,  idoo)  in  His  hands  the  print 
of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the 
nails,  and  thrust  my  hand  into  His  side,  I will  not 
believe. 

And  after  eight  days  again.  His  disciples  were  within, 
and  Thomas  with  them: 

Jesus’  appearance.]  Then  came  Jesus  (Jesus  cometh, 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  87 

erchetai)^  the  doors  being  shut,  and  stood  in  the  midst, 
and  said,  Peace  be  unto  you. 

His  word  to  Thomas.]  Then  saith  He  to  Thomas, 
Peach  hither  thy  finger,  and  behold  My  hands;  and 
reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  My  side;  and 
be  (become,  ginou)  not  faithless,  but  believing. 

Conviction  of  Thomas.]  And  Thomas  answered  and 
said  unto  Him,  My  Lord  and  my  God. 

Jesus’  reply.]  And  Jesus  saith  unto  Him,  Thomas, 
{wanting  in  many  Mss^  because  thou  hast  seen  Me,  thou 
hast  believed:  blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and 
yet  have  believed. 

Thomas,  a Galilaean  probably,  a twin — ^whose  twin- 
sister  was  named  Lysia,  tradition  says — was  an  early 
follower  of  J esus.  He  was  called  into  the  apostleship,  and 
made  an  apostolic  journey  into  India,  where  he  founded 
churches,  and  where  he  suffered  martyrdom.  His  ab- 
sence from  the  gathering  of  the  disciples  on  the  previous 
Lord’s  Day  could  not  have  been  involuntary,  nor  acci- 
dental. This  conduct  corresponds  with  the  character- 
istics of  him  so  vividly  portrayed  in  his  sayings  [John 
xi,  16;  xiv,  5;  xxi,  2],  and  as  delineated  by  Thorwalsden, 
in  his  famous  statue  of  him,  now  in  a church  in  Copen- 
hagen. There  he  stands,  the  thoughtful,  meditative  man, 
struggling  through  diflS.culties  and  doubts,  weighing  ev- 
idence, and  unable  to  believe  until  powerfully  convinced. 
The  traits  given  of  him  place  his  character  before  us 
with  a precision  which  belongs  beside,only  to  Peter,  John 
and  Judas  Iscariot  among  the  twelve.  A man  of  ar- 
dent temperament,  generous  impulses,  and  a loving 
heart,  he  was  strongly  attached  to  Jesus*  Once,  when 


88 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


he  saw  Him  face  the  dangers  that  awaited  Him  in  Judaea 
and  looked  upon  the  journey  as  leading  to  total  ruin,  he 
determined  to  share  in  the  peril:  ‘‘let  us  also  go,  that 
we  may  die  with  Him.’’  His  sensibilities  are  very 
acute.  His  reflective  faculties  were  prominent.  This  made 
him  hesitant.  When  decided,  he  was  flrmly  so;  but  he 
must  see  clearly.  And  he  was  prone  to  look  at  difficul- 
ties, and  at  the  dark  side  of  things.  At  Jesus’  remark, 
at  the  Supper,  “whither  I go,  ye  know;  and  the  way  ye 
know,”  He  expressed  incredulous  doubt  as  to  moving  a 
step  in  the  unseen  future,  and  eager  inquiry  how  that 
step  was  to  be  taken:  “Lord,  we  know  not  whither  Thou 
goest,  and  how  can  we  know  the  way?”  He  was  the 
critical  one  among  the  apostles,  and  the  embodiment  of 
that  principle,  so  necessary  and  wholesome,  which  in- 
vestigates tacts,  wants  to  know  the  ground  and  reason, 
clears  the  field  of  myths  and  phantasies,  and  can  let  no- 
thing remain  that  is  not  established  on  a right  and  true 
foundation.  He  was  skeptical,  but  honest  and  truth- 
loving.  And  his  doubting  was  the  result  of  his  deep 
earnestness  and  longing  after  truth.  He  must  have  re- 
ality. He  would  not  receive  a lie.  But  the  truth,  so 
soon  as  known,  was  welcomed  gladly,  and  held  firmly. 
Jesus’  Divinity  had  been  accepted  by  Him  as  a fact. 
But  the  idea  of  a suffering  and  dying  Christ  was  to  him 
totally  incompatible  with  the  idea  of  Divinity.  Hence 
the  sufferings  and  death  of  Jesus  were  a more  dreadful 
shock  to  his  faith  than  to  his  affections.  It  staggered 
under  these  blows.  Doubts  followed.  Then  his  faith 
became  a heap  of  ashes — under  which,  however,  smoul- 


THE  HOLY  RESUKKECTION. 


89 


dered  some  fire.  He  could  not  explain  tlie  empty  tomb, 
but  he  did  not  believe  in  the  resurrection.  Hence,  he 
could  not  meet  with  the  disciples.  Isolation,  not  com- 
panionship, suited  his  state  of  mind.  When,  after  the 
meeting,  the  disciples  told  him  of  Jesus’  appearance  to 
the  assembly,  their  word  should  have  been,  but  was  not, 
sufficient  ground  for  him  to  rest  faith  upon.  He  doubted 
not  their  honesty  of  conviction  or  word,  but  he  distrusted 
their  understanding.  Their  joy  seemed  to  him  unreal. 
Sitrlit  and  touch  alone  would  convince  him  that  the  ap- 
pearance  was  that  of  a real  body,  and  that  body  Christ’s. 
To  their  oft-repeated  saying,  “We  have  seen  the  Lord,” 
he  broke  out  in  the  oft-repeated  reply,  which  is  a certain 
index  of  the  disquietude  of  unbelief,  an  expression  of  the 
vehemence  of  his  doubt,  and  consequent  poverty  and 
helplessness.  And  it,  at  the  same  time,  shows  how 
vivid  was  the  picture  which  his  mind  retained  of  his 
Master’s  form,  as  he  had  seen  Him  lifeless  on  the  cross:. 
“Except  I see  in  His  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and 
put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  my 
hand  into  His  side,  ou  mee  pistuoOy  I will  noty  I can- 
not bdieve.^^^ 

Their  senses  were  as  sound,  their  intellects  were  as 
clear,  their  spiritual  discernment  was  as  true  as  his  own. 
His  unbelief,  therefore,  arose  from  self-will,  and  so  was 
sinful.  So  also  was  his  daring  to  demand  a certain  kind 
of  evidence,  ix.y  his  own  action  upon  Jesus,  as  a neces- 

[*Thomas  may  have  heard  from  John  of  the  stigmata^  or  he  may 
have  been  present  at  the  crucifixion.  If  the  latter,  then  the  re- 
mark on  the  top  of  page  237  of  the  “Holy  Death”  must  be  corrected.] 


THB  HOLY  RESURBEOTION. 


90 

sary  preliminary  to  believing.  But  he  could  not  wholly 
break  away  from  the  power  of  their  word,  nor  could  he 
extinguish  the  love  of  his  own  heart  to  Jesus.  Tossed, 
hence,  between  the  conviction  of  his  understanding,  and 
the  love  and  fidelity  of  his  heart,  he,  during  that  week — 
while  the  other  disciples  were  resting  in  peace,  and  en- 
joying the  gift  of  The  Spirit — was  walking  about,  or  re- 
maining at  home,  solitary  and  sad,  contending  with 
doubts,  and  seeking  outward  evidences. 

One  good  result  of  this  week’s  experiences,  however, 
appeared.  He  was  willing  to  be  at  the  next  weekly  gath- 
ering of  the  disciples.  This  was  on  the  second  Lord’s 
day  of  history,  April  16th,  A.D,  30.  The  assembling 
shows  that  already  that  day  was  regarded  as  holy.  And 
Jesus’  appearance  to  the  assembly  puts  upon  the  day 
special  emphasis  and  honor.  Thomas  was  there,  humbled 
and  penitent.  The  record  does  not  inform  us  whether 
there  was  an  expectation  of  a recurrence  of  the  visit  of 
the  previous  Lord’s  Day  or  not.  The  doors  were  shut. 
Suddenly,  Jesus  erchetai^  oomethj  Tcai  estee,  and  stood 
in  their  midst,  and  said,  ^‘Peace  be  to  you”  all,  especially 
to  you,  Thomas:  for  he  had  not  that  peace  which  Jesus’ 
presence  and  word  had  imparted  to  the  others,  and  which 
faith  had  received.  Then  (eita  presently)  turning  to 
him,  the  doubting,  and  so  hindering  one  of  the  company, 
as  if  this  had  been  the  special  object  of  His  appearance. 
He  uttered  the  words  which  convey  as  strongly  the  sense 
of  condemnation  and  tender  reproof,  as  those  of  Thomas 
had  shown  the  sense  of  hesitation  and  doubt:  ‘‘Thomas, 
'pherey  bring  thy  finger  hoode^  hither^^ — a particle  which 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


91 


intimates  that  Jesus  Himself  pointed,  while  speaking, 
to  His  own  wounds — ^^kai  ide^  and  see^'*  i,e.^  investigate, 
and  through  the  senses  make  sure  of,  hands;” — a 

reply,  this,  to  Thomas’  ‘^except  I see  in  His  hands  the 
print  of  the  nails” — ^^and  bring  thy  hand  and  thrust  it 
in  My  side” — an  answer  to  Thomas’  ^‘except  I thrust  my 
hand  into  His  side,”  and  a phrase  indicating  that  the 
opening  was  wide  and  deep  enough  to  put  the  hand  into; 
and  mee  ffinou,  become  not^  apistos^  unbelieving^  but  be- 
lieving, i,e,^  as  a condition  of  mind  (Gal.  iii,  6),  and  as  to 
the  essential  point,  resurrection,  and  all  it  implies  and 
involves.  The  phrase  indicates  that  Thomas  was  at  that 
critical  point  where  he  could  not  stop,  but  must  go  on 
until  he  passed  into  perfect  peace,  or  into  total  unbelief. 

Jesus’  knowledge  of  Thomas’  previous  and  present 
words  and  spirit,  came  not  from  His  omniscience — for 
He  had  not  yet  ascended — but  from  the  Father  by  The 
Spirit  (John  vii,  17;  viii,  26,  28,  38.)  To  Thomas  it 
was  a startling  revelation.  Jesus’  manner  of  entrance, 
salutation,  form,  looks,  voice,  challenge,  and  the  marks  of 
suffering  and  mutilation  immutably  impressed  upon  His 
resurrection  Body,  were  proofs  most  indisputable  that 
it  was  the  same  Body  which  had  hung  upon  the  cross. 
The  repetition  of  his  own  words,  spoken  only  in  the  hear^ 
ing  of  his  fellow  disciples,  the  address  to  the  thought 
of  his  heart,*  and  especially  the  infinite,  reviving,  and 
heart-teaching  love  towards  Irim,  all  combined  with  the 
external  to  produce  upon  Thomas  immediate  and  most 


[*See  John  i,  48-50,  for  another  example.] 


92 


THE  HOLY  EESURREGTION. 


profound  conviction.  The  truth  shone  in  upon  him  with 
sudden  splendor.  Senses,  intellect  and  heart  were  in- 
stantly and  fully  satisfied.  All  doubts  disappeared.  The 
Divine  Man  stood  betore  him.  His  conviction  of  this 
fact  was  deeper  and  stronger  than  that  of  the  other  apos- 
tles. He  had  said,  unless  I thrust  my  hand  into  His 
side,  I will  not  believe.’’  But  asked  to  do  this,  he  does 
it  not.  He  is  convinced  without  it.  He  has  found  his 
Lord  again.  V ictory  over  death  and  the  grave  has  aroused 
and  inspired  his  worship.  He  bounded  at  a spring  from 
the  depth  of  despondency  to  the  height  of  Joy.  In  one 
exclamation — whether  an  address,  or  a description,  it  was 
said  to  Jesus — -he  poured  forth  his  perfectly  satisfied 
adoration,  his  profoundest  feeling, clearest  perception  and 
victorious  faith:  ‘Mehovah,  Adonai,  my  Lord  and  my 
God.” 

This  formula,  in  the  Old  Testament,  belonged  exclu- 
sively to  the  Creator.  In  the  mouth  of  an  apostle,  it 
always  referred  to  J esus.  And  the  words,  while  they  show 
how  the  disciples  understood-  the  phrase,  ‘^Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,”  are  a far  higher  assertion  of  Jesus’  Divin- 
ity than  any  other  of  the  apostolic  age.  In  the  appro- 
priative,  soul-satisfying  word  of  faith,  ^^My,”  Thomas 
declares  the  identity  of  the  Eisen  with  the  Crucified. 
He  who  now  stood  before  him,  was,  he  said.  He  whom 
he  had  worshipped  before.  And  this  word  shows — for 
^‘none  can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord  but  by  The  Spirit” 

■ — that  Thomas  had  received  The  Spirit  without,  as  the 
ten  had  through,  the  breathing.  The  Son  of  Man  became 
Man  that  men  might  find  the  living  God  in  His  human- 


^ESXTS  APPEARS  TO  THOMAS. 


The  Temple  Wall. 

This,  the  oldest  existing  rednains  in  the  citj^y  formed  part  of  the  rampirts 
of  the  Ancient  Wall  of  Jerjusalefn. 


/ 


THE  HOLr  REStTRRECTION. 


93 


ity.  From  resurrection,  and  the  open,  bloodless  wounds, 
Thomas  was  convinced  of  the  fact.  The  church  has  ever 
since  been  struggling  towards,  and  trying  to  spell  out,  the 
words  he  spoke.  And  his  has  been  the  faith  of  all  be- 
lievers since — a faith  not  formulated  in  cold  dogmas, 
but  coming  forth  spontaneously  from  living  souls. 

Jesus  saith  unto  him,*“because,  eooralcaSj pejpisteukas^ 
thou  hast  seen^thou  hast  helieved'^^ — art  become  a believer, 
art  in  possession  of  complete  and  intelligent  faith.  The 
perfect  tense  indicates  that  the  present  faith,  grounded 
on  the  whole  past,  is  genuine.  And  the  words  of  Jesus 
which  follow,  the  goal  of  the  development  of  faith  in  the 
circle  of  those  then  believing,  was  the  starting  point  for 
faith  on  earth:  ^^Blessed  are  they  who  have  not  seen,  yet 
have  believed.”  This  is  not  a condemnation  of  sight. 
For  Jesus  had  shown  Himself  to  others,  and  they  had 
seen.  And  unless  some  had  seen,  there  could  be  no  testi- 
mony to  the  fact.  But  it  is  a word  of  encouragement 
to  those  who  could  not  see.  ^‘Blessed  are  those”  of  all 
coming  generations,  at  any  point  in  the  future,  ‘^who 
having  not  seen  Me”  in  the  flesh,  have  yet,  upon  the  testi- 
mony of  those  who  have  seen  Me,  have  ^‘believed.” 

Jesus’  Seventh  Appearance. 

Persons,  seven  disciples ; Place,  Lake  of  Galilee,  called  also  the  Sear 
of  Tiberias ; Time,  April-May,  A.D.  30. 

Matt,  xxviii,  16;  John  xxi,  1-24. 

Then,  after  these  things,  the  Eleven  went  away  into 
Galilee. 


[*“Thomas,’‘in  vs.  29  of  E.  V.,  is  wanting  in  the  best  manuscripts, 
and  is  omitted  by  Tisch.,  Treg.,  Alf.,  God..  Mey.,  Lange,West.,  Hort.] 


94 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTIOK. 


And  Jesus  shewed  (manifested,  ephaneroosen)  Him- 
self again  to  the  disciples  at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias;  and  on 
this  wise  (in  this  manner),  showed  (manifested)  He  Him- 
self. There  were  together  Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas, 
called  Didymus,  and  Nathaniel  of  Oana  in  Galilee,  and 
James  and  John^  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  two  other 
(others,  alloi)  of  His  disciples,  Simon  Peter  saith  unto 

them,  I go  a fishing.  They  say  unto  him.  We  also  go 
{come^  erchometha')  with  Thee.  They  went  forth,  and 
entered  into  a (the,  to)  ship,*  and  (in,  en)  that  night 
they  caught  nothing.  But  when  the  morning  was  now 
come  (morning  was  already  coming  on,  prooias  de  Tiedee 
genomenees)  day  was  breaking,  R.  V.,)  Jesus  stood  on  the 
Jesus  suddenly  pres-  ) shore;  but  the  disciples  knew 
ent  on  the  shore.  J not  that  it  was  Jesus. 

Then  saith  Jesus  unto  them.  Children,  have  ye  any 
meat  (anything  to  eat,  ti  prosptiagion)  ? 

They  answered  Him,  No. 

And  He  said  unto  them.  Oast  the  net  on  the  right 
side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall  find. 

Success  following  obedience.]  They  cast  therefore, 
and  now  they  were  not  able  to  draw  it  for  the  multitude 
of  (the,  toon)  fishes. 

Therefore  that  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  saith  unto 
Peter,  It  is  the  Lord.  Now  when  Simon  Peter  heard 
that  it  was  the  Lord,  he  girt  his  fisher’s  {outer)  coat  about 
him  (for  he  was  naked),  and  did  cast  himself  into  the 
sea.  But  {de)  the  other  disciples  came  in  a (the,  too) 
little  ship  (boat,  ploiarioo\  (for  they  were  not  far  from 
land,  but  as  it  were — only  about — two  hundred  cubits), 
dragging  the  net  with  (full  of,  R.V.)  fishes.  As  soon, 

then,  as  they  were  come  to  land  (so  when  they  got  out 
upon  the  land,  R. V.),  they  saw  (see,  hlepousin)  a fire  of 

\^Eutlius^  immediately,  of  T.E.,  is  wanting  in  the  best  Mss.,  and 
is  omitted  by  most  critical  commentators.] 


TfJE  HOLr  EESURiCECTlOJS. 


96 


coals  there,  and  fish  laid  (lying,  epikeirneno  iC)  thereon, 
and  bread. 

Jesus  saitli  unto  them,  Bring  of  the  fish  which  ye 
have  now  caught. 

Simon  Peter  went  up  (on  boaid),  and  drew  the  net  to 
land  full  of  great  fishes,  an  hundred  and  fifty  and  three: 
and  for  all  there  were  so  many,  yet  was  not  the  net  brok- 
en (rent  eschisthee). 

They  breaklast  with  Jesus.]  Jesus  saith  unto  them, 
come  and  dine-j*  (breakfast,  aristeeeate.) 

And  none  of  the  disciples  durst  ask  Kim,  Who  art 
Thou?  knowing  that  it  w^as  the  Lord. 

Jesus  then  coineth  and  taketh  the  brea:l,  and  giveth 
them,  and  the  fisli  likewise. 

This  is  now  the  third  time^  that  Jesus  showed  Him- 
self (was  manifested,  epharieroothee)^to  His  disciples  after 
that  He  was  risen  from  the  dead. 

So  when  they  had  dined 


(breakfasted),  Jesus  saith 


to  Simon  Peter,  Simon,  son  ot  Jonas,  (John,  looannou^^') 
lovest  {agapas)  thou  Me  more  than  them? 

He  saith  unto  Him,  Yea,  Lord;  Thou  knowest  that  I 
love  (^philoo)  Thee. 

He  saith  unto  him.  Feed  {boske)  My  lambs. 

He  saith  unto  liim  again  the  second  time,  Simon, 
son  of  Jonas,  (John)  lovest  {agapas)  thou  Me? 

[\Arutaoo.  signiiies  to  take  any  meal,  except  dinner  or  supper, 
also  the  lunch  before  the  deipnon^  supper  was  the  chief  meal 

of  tlie  day.  Here  it  is  the  early,  or  morning  meal.] 

[*Not  the  third  appearance, (for  John  records  three  others,)but  the 
third  to  the  apostles.  John  gives  the  other  two  in  ch.  xx.  These 
we  have  considered.  These  manifestations  reported  by  John  are 
summed  up  by  Paul  thus : “Then  of  the  Twelve.”  1 Cor.  xv,  5.] 

[**T!ie  looana  here,  and  in  i,  42,  of  T.  K.,  must  give  way  to 
looannouy  according  to  the  best  critical  authorities.  See  Dr.  Schaff’s 
footnote  on  the  two  passages.] 


96 


THE  HOLY  RESUR-RECTION. 


He  saitli  unto  Him,  Tea,  Lord;  Thou  knowest  that  I 
\oYQ  {^philoo)  Thee. 

He  saith  unto  him.  Feed  (tend,  poimain^  My  sheep. 

He  saith  unto  him  the  third  time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas 
(John)  lovest  (^philies)  thou  Me? 

Peter  was  grieved  because  He  said  unto  him  the  third 
time,  Lovest  thou  Me?  And  he  said  unto  him,  Lord, 
Thou  knowest  {oidas)  all  things;  Thou  knowest  (per- 
ceivest  clearly,  ginooskeis)  that  I love  iphiloo)  Thee. 

Jesus  saith  unto  hyn.  Feed  Qjoske)  my  sheep  (sheep- 
lings,  ta prohatio).  Verily,  verily,  I say  unto  thee,  when 
thou  wast  young  thou  girdest  thy  self, and  walkeds  whither 
thou  wouldest:  but  when  thou  shale  be  old,  thou  shalt 
stretch  forth  thy  hands,  and  another  shall  gird  thee,  and 
carry  thee  whither  thou  wouldest  not. 

This  spake  lie  signifying  by  what  (kind  of,  poioo) 
death  he  should  (was  to)  glorify  God. 

And  when  He  had  spoken  this.  He  saith  unto  him, 
Follow  Me. 

Then  Peter,  turning  about,  seeth  the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved  following;  which  also  leaned  on  His  breast 
at  (the,  too)  Supper,  and  said,  Lord,  which  is  he  thatbe- 
trayeth  Thee?  Peter  (therefore,  ounf^)  seeing  him,  saith 
to  Jesus,  Lord,  and  what  shall  this  man  do  (or.  But  how 
will  it  be  with  him,  outos  de  ti)\ 

Jesus  saith  unto  him,  If  I will  that  he  tarry  till  1 
come,  what  is  that  to  thee?  Follow  thou  me. 

Then,  therefore,  went  this  saying  abroad  among  the 
brethren,  that  that  disciple  should  not  die  (dieth  not, 
ouk  apothneskei).  yet  Jesus  said  not  unto  him.  He  shall 
not  die  (dietli  not);  but,  if  I will  that  he  tarry  till  1 come, 
what  is  that  to  thee? 

This  is  the  disciples  which  testifieth  of  these  things. 


[^Oun  is  a re  iding  adopted  by  all  the  critical  edd.] 


tHE  HOLY  KESTJEREOTION.  97 

and  wrote  these  things,  and  we  know  that  his  testimony 
is  true. 

John  xxi  has  occasioned  some  critical  discussion.  It 
appears  like,  and  by  some  critics  is  declared  to  be,  an 
addenda.  Some  say  it  may  be,  others  that  it  is  not  such. 
But  its  genuineness  and  authenticity  appear  well  estab- 
lished.* And  it  has  been  ever  received  by  the  Church 
as  a part  of  the  sacred  Scriptures. 

It  is  quite  often  remarked  that  the  apostles  lingered 
in  Jerusalem  from  a want  of  faith.  But  ten  of  the  El- 
even had,  on  the  day  of  Jesus’  resurrection,  such  con- 
vincing proof  of  the  fact  that  no  subsequent  appearing 
could  make  it  more  certain.  Their  conviction  is  seen  in 
the  calmness  of  the  word  to  Thomas  ^‘We  have  seen  the 
Lord.”  They  could  not,  hence,  doubt  but  that  He  would 
meet  them,  as  He  had  said,  in  Galilee. 

The  fact  is  that  their  leaving  the  city  during  the  Pass- 
over  week,  would  have  been  a wound  to  their  own  deep 
religious  convictions,  and  a shock  to  those  of  their  coun- 
trymen. That  week  closed  on  Saturday  evening.  They 
would  not  leave  on  the  Lord’s  Day,  to  them  already  an 
holy  day.  On  the  day  that  Thomas’  unbelief  was  wholly 
removed,  they  could  return  an  unbroken  company 
And  immediately  afterwards  they  started  for  Galilee. 
Thither  the  resurrection  story  leads  our  steps. 

Meta  tauta^  after  these  things — i,e,^  those  which  had 
wrought  conviction  ot  Jesus’  resurrection  in  the  minds 
of  the  disciples — they  witnessed  Jesus  faithfulness  to 


[*See  Lange  in  Loco^  Trench,  On  Mir^  note  xxiii.] 


98 


THE  HOLY  RESURREC'nON, 


His  word,  will  go  before  you’’ — -the  flock — ‘flnto  Gali- 

lee.” The  words  intimate  that  many  days  had  passed  since 
‘‘these  things,’^  and  that  the  disciples  had  time  to  think, 
in  the  quiet  of  Galilee,  calmly,  clearly,  fully  upon  what  ^ 
they  had  seen  and  heard.  Jesus*  again  ephanerosin 
eauton^  manifested  Himself  to  His  disciples.  This 
word,  as  used  of  Jesus’  post-resurrection  appearances,  in- 
dicates (a)  that  they  were  always  by  a distinct  act  of  His 
will;  that  the  disciples  did  not,  as  during  His  life,  see 
Jesus,  but  that  He  appeared  to  them;  and  (b)  that  He 
was  visible  to  them  only  when  He  Himself,  pleased  to  be. 
He  did  not  now  appear  in  order  to  prove  that  He  had 
risen,  but  to  instruct  them  in  their  duties,  and  to  assure 
them  of  His  blessing,  as  Risen,  in  their  work  for  Him,, 
and  in  their  daily  toil.  This  last  was  the  object  of  the 
appearance  by  the  sea  of  Galilee;  and  the  object  of  the 
one  on  the  mountain  in  Galilee,  was  to  give  His  people 
the  Great  Commission.  All  the  Galilaean  appearances 
occurred  during  the  latter  part  of  April  and  first  part 
of  May,  A.D.  30. 

After  these  things  Jesus  showed,  not  His  wounds,  but 
Himself.  And  in  this  manner  {Grk.)  manifested  He  Him- 
self. The  disciples, — who  may  have  been  Aristion,  and 
the  John  of  whom  Fapias  speaks  as  an  old  disciple  of  Je- 
sus (Godet) — and  five  apostles,  were  together.  These  five 
were  Nathaniel  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  Thomas,  called  Didy- 
mus,  Peter,  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee.  James  and 

[* Alford  omits  the  name.  But  no  good  reason  can  be  given.  It 
is  found  in  B.  C.  Sin.  Alex.  Vat.,  and  is  retained  by  Tisch.,  Treg., 
Lange,  Godet,  Westcott  and  Hort.] 


^ttE  /iOLY  RESUKRECTION. 


John  are  well  known.  We  have  already  given  a sketch 
of  Thomas.  Nathaniel,  (whose  name  is  equivalent  to 
Theodore,  a gift,  or  given  of  God),  was  a native,  or  resi- 
, dent,  of  Cana,  in  Galilee.  lie  was,  by  one  who  could  read 
the  heart,  specially  characterized  as  a man  of  most  guile- 
less disposition,  and  of  unswerving  truthfulness — a char- 
acter rarely  paralleled  in  the  Scriptures  (John  i,  47.) 
One  of  those  devout  Jews  who  had  listened  to  John 
Baptist,  he  became  one  of  the  first  six  disciples  of  Jesus. 
This  was  within  a week  after  His  (Jesus’)  victory  over 
Satan,  and  on  the  second  day  after  John  had  pointed  Him 
out  as  the  Lamb,  and  as  the  Son  of  God.  Jesus’  answer 
to  a remark  of  his  showed  him  that  He  had  heard  his 
unuttered  prayer,  and  so  must  be  able  to  read  his  secret 
thoughts.  He  immediately  confessed  Him  as  the  Son 
of  God  and  King  of  Israel  (John  i,  46).  If  he  be  the  one 
mentioned  under  the  patronymic  Bartholomew,  and  this 
is  now  generally  admitted,^  he  was  one  of  the  twelve 
apostles.  His  name  appears  no  more  until  here,  as  one 
of  the  seven  who,  after  a night  of  fruitless  toil,  were 
witnesses  of  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes,  and  of 
Jesus’  seventh  post-resurrection  appearance. 

They  were  together  to  engage  in  their  ordinary  life- 
calling. Peter  said,  “I  go  a fishing” — not  for  pastime, 
but  for  livelihood.  The  rest  said  “we  come  with  thee.” 
They  went  forth  from  the  place  they  were  to  that  sea 
which  would  vividly  remind  them  of  their  now  Risen 
Lord.  At  once  they  entered  the  fishing  boat,  put  off  from 


pSee  note  of  Dr.  Schaff  in  Lange^  on  John  i,  45.] 


loo  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

shore  and  spent  the  night  (the  most  favorable  time  for 
catching  fish,  Luke  v,  5),  in  catching — nothing. 

This  scene  is  most  prosaic.  The  men  had  passed 
through  most  extraordinary  and  amazing  experiences. 
But  not  a trace  of  fanaticism,  or  unhealthy  excitement 
can  be  detected  in  their  deportment.  Their  minds  were 
in  a most  healthy  state,  or  they  could  not  have  passed 
this  night  in  managing  boats  and  dragging  a net.  They 
could  act  calmly  and  intelligently.  Such  men  could  not 
be  easily  deceived  by  fancies  or  myths.  Such  men,  seek- 
ing to  earn  a livelihood  by  the  honest  and  laborious  toil 
of  fishing,  were  not  the  men  to  construct  a vast  system 
of  falsehood  in  order  to  impose  it  upon  the  credulity  of 
mankind. 

When  the  morning  was  breaking,  or  had  already 
dawned — for  the  text  wavers  between  ginomenees  and 
genomenees — Jesus  stood  on  the  shore,  distant  about  one 
hundred  yards.  The  fishers  saw  Him,  but  did  not  know 
who  it  was.  Unseen  He  may  be  near.  Unknown  He 
may  talk  with  us.  ^‘Young  men  {paidia)^^  said  He, 
‘^have  you  any  relish  to  eat  with  the  morning  bread  or 
breakfast?’’  for  this  is  what  prosj>hagion  signifies;  and 
fish  was  regarded  as  such  a relish.  This  question,  which 
anyone  who  needed  a breakfast  relish  might  ask  of  any 
fisherman,  shows  J esus’  genuine  human  interest.  ^‘No,” 
they  replied,  showing  that  they  did  not  recognize  His 
voice.  ^^Oast  in  your  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  ship, 
and  you  shall  find,”  said  He — a remark  suggesting  that 
the  net  had  been  drawn  up  into  the  ship,  and  that  they 
had  stopped  fishing.  They  acted  upon  His  suggestion. 


When  the  mornin^  wns  now  come.  Jesn.e  stood  on  llie  shore. 


IT  IS  THE  LORD. 


THE  HOLY  RRSURRECTION. 


101 


This  shows  the  ascendency  of  the  Unknown  Man.  And 
their  obedient  faith  in  His  word  had  an  abundant  reward. 
So  full  was  the  net  of  fishes  that  they  were  not  able  to 
draw  it  up  into  the  ship.  The  night  of  toil  was  followed 
by  a morning  of  joy.  And  this  magnificent  draught 
may  possibly  have  suggested  the  immense  success  which 
would  follow  their  preaching  when  they  become  fishers 
of  men. 

This  scene  recalled  to  John  another  similar  morning 
scene  on  this  same  sea  and  shore,  two  years  before,  April. 
May,  A.D.  28.  Then,  as  now,  the  disciples,  after  a night 
of  fruitless  toil,  let  down  their  net  in  obedience  to  Jesus’ 
word,  and  caught  a multitude  of  fishes.  Then  Jesus 
called  four  of  His  disciples  to  become  fishers  of  men. 

The  coincidence  struck  J ohn.  He  began,  perhaps,  to 
recall  the  tones  of  voice.  Suddenly  the  fact  flashed 
across  his  mind,  and  he  expressed  it  to  Peter,  ‘‘It  is  the 
Lord.”  John  contemplates,  and  divines.  His  eagle  eye 
of  love  is  the  first  to  recognize.  But  Peter  is  the  first 
to  act,  and  that,  too,  with  characteristic  promptness  and 
energy.  Being  naked,  except  the  garment  next  the  skin, 
which  decency  demanded — a sight  common  in  the  East 
to  this  day — he,  out  of  proper  respect  for  Jesus,  put  on 
his  ependuteen^  upper  tunic  (the  garment  worn  between 
the  inner  tunic  and  outer  coat,  his  fisher’s  blouse;  which 
was  without  sleeves,  and  extended  to  the  knee),  and  girt  it 
fast,  so  that  he  could  swim  freely.  Then  he  jumped  into 
the  lake,  and  swam  to  shore.  The  rest  followed  in  a 
small  boat,  dragging  the  full  net  with  them.  They  found 
on  the  shore,  when  they  reached  it,  a fire  of  coals,  and 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


103 


this  and  the  subseqaent  appearances  (save  the  one  to 
James,  His  brother,  which  was  for  his  conviction  and 
conversion),  point  forward,  and  are  the  pledge  and  prom- 
ise of  His  abiding  presence  and  actings  in  His  church, 
by  His  Spirit,  for  all  time.  This  one  was,  generally 
for  all  the  disciples,  and  specially  for  Peter. 

It  was  to  the  former  a manifestation  of  His  confidence 
and  love,  of  His  recognition  of  their  bodily  needs,  of 
His  abiding  interest  in  the  daily  calling  and  toil  of  His 
own,  and  of  the  true  honor  which  He  sets  on  that  toil.  It 
was  His  showing  them  symbolically,  (a)  through  the 
draught  of  fishes,  the  success  of  their  preaching;  and  (b) 
through  tlie  repast  that  He  had  provided,  (1)  that,  in 
His  work,  they  might  depend  upon  Him  for  both  spirit- 
ual and  temporal  assistance,  and  (2) — in  asking  them  to 
bring  of  tlie  fish  which  they  had  caught — -that  the  sat- 
isfying of  their  needs  would  depend  upon  the  concurrence 
of  the  two  factors,  (a)  His  blessing  and  aid,  and  (b)  their 
faithful  work ‘Thou  shalt  eat  of  the  labor  of  thy  hands  ” 
(Ps.  cxxviii,  2.)  He,  in  this  action,  pointed  out  the  unity 
and  harmony  of  the  physical  and  spiritual  creation.  And 
He  also  thus  made  known,  through  this  symbol,  too,  such 
important  truths  as  these:  the  difference  between  cast- 
ing the  net  on  the  one  side  of  the  ship  where  nothing 
but  exhaustion  comes  from  the  toil,  and  the  casting  of 
it,  ill  obedience  to  His  command,  upon  the  other  side 
and  having  it  full,  as  the  result;  the  dependence  for 
blessing  and  succe5S,in  any  enterprise, upon  His  presence, 
and  obedience  to  His  word;  and  the  assurance  that  He 
proposes,  has  ready,  and  gives  to  His  people  a morning 


304  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


meal  before  He  sends  them  out  to  work  for  Him. 

It  was  to  Peter  a time  and  event  of  transcendent  im- 
portance. And  the  resemblance  between  the  present  and 
previous  scenes  in  his  life  is  very  marked.  He  had  re- 
ceived a call  to  the  ministry  after  a miraculous  draught 
of  fishes.  This  was  now  after  a similar  draught  restored 
to  him.  He  had  lost  his  office  from  his  denial  by  a fire 
of  coals.  By  this  confession  now,  by  another  fire  of  coals, 
he  regains  it.  Breakfast  being  over,  a conversation  fol- 
lowed between  Jesus  and  Peter.  Of  his  sin  in  denying 
Jesus  he  had,  on  the  night  of  its  occurrence,  repented 
most  bitterly.  He  had  been  specially  named  by  the 
angels  as  one  to  whom  the  Risen  Redeemer  would  appear. 
Doubtless,  during  the  appearance  to  him  alone  on  the 
evening  of  the  resurrection,  he  had  been  pardoned. 
Now  he  was  restored  to  the  apostleship.  Thrice  ad- 
di  •essing  him  by  his  name,  Simon,  son  of  John,  which 
would  recall  to  him  his  natural  state  (see  page  95),  out 
of  which  Jesus  had  brought  him,  into  which  again  his 
fall  had  plunged  him,  and  from  which  grace  had  a 
second  time  rescued  him,  He  put  that  question,  thrice 
repeated,^  which  goes  to  the  very  core  of  the  subject, 


[*We  give,  in  parallel  columns,  the 


Questions. 

1.  Lovest  thou  Me 
more  than  these? 

2.  Lovest,  agapasy 
thou  Me? 

3.  Lovest,  phi- 
leiSy  thou  Me? 


Answers. 

Yea,  Lord  Thou  know- 
est  that  I love  Thee. 

Yea,  Lord,  Thou  know- 
est  that  I love  Thee. 

Lord,  Thou  knowest 
all  things.  Thou  know- 
est that  I love  Thee. 


Commands. 
Feed  My  lambs. 

Feed  my  sheep, 
probata. 

Feed  my  sheep- 
lings,  probitia. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  . 105 

which  Peter  alone  could  answer,  and  which,  together 
with  his  replies,  are  the  counterpart  of  his  three-fold 
temptation  and  denials:  Simon,  son  of  John,  agapas^ 
lovest  thou  Me  more  than  these? 

This  verb,  agapas^  describes  the  love  eternal, unchange- 
able, and  pure,  which  belongs  to  God,  and  also  the 
reverential  love  grounded  on  high  graces  of  character, 
which  the  child  of  God  should  ever  bear  and  cherish 
towards  Him,  and  towards  his  fellow  men  (Matt,  xxii, 
37,  39,  QtU).  It  points  to  the  love  of  the  will,  that 
pure  and  perfect  affection  which  includes  veneration, 
reverence,  and  the  deepest  subjection  to  the  object 
loved.  And  this  love  has  the  highest  value — ^^more 
than  these.”  This  phrase,  pleion  toutoon^  may  refer  to 
the  subject  loving,  or  to  the  object  loved.  It  is  exegeti- 
cally,  the  former.  ^‘Do  you,  Peter,  who  said,‘though  all 
shall  be  offended  because  of  Thee,  yet  will  I never  be 
offended,^  love  Me  more  than  you  love  these,  your 
brethren?”  This  question,  while  gently  reminding  Peter 
of  his  boast,  and  fall,  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  speak 
out  honestly  his  real  sentiments  with  purified  confidence 
and  reverent  joy. 

This  appeal  was  direct  and  sudden.  Peter  felt  its 
force.  Put  unembarrassed  by  it  he  promptly  replied. 
Agapas  was  a height  to  which  he  could  not  conscientious- 
ly rise.  But  he  used  a word  which  came  out  clear,  full 
and  strong  from  the  depths  of  his  consciousness:  ‘^Yea 
Lord,  philoo^  I love  Thee.”  This  verb  expresses  the 
personal  love  of  human  affection  and  relationship.  He 
draws  no  comparisons.  Yet  conscious  of  his  own  weak- 


106 


THE  HOLl  RESURRECTION. 


ness,  and  with  an  implied  self-distrust  that  is  beautiful, 
he  appeals  to  Jesus’  profound  and  personal  knowledge 
of  the  heart:  ^^Thou  knowest  that,  despite  my  errors, 
faults  and  fails,  I have  a true  personal  love  for  Thee.” 

Do  you  love  J esus ? This  is  the  root-question.  This 
is  the  true  pivot  upon  wiiich  everything  must  turn. 
Hence,  Jesus,  having  said,  “Feed  My  lambs,”  puts  the 
question  a second  time:  agapas^  lovest  thou  Me?  A 
second  time  Peter  replies  philoo^  I love  Thee,  Thou 
knowest.  God  must  be  the  object  of  philein.  before  He 
can  be  the  object  of  agapan  And  in  his  second  use 
of  philoo^  Peter  is  evidently  struggling  to  rise  consci- 
ously from  i\iQ  philein^  which  he  has,  to  the  agapan. 
Then  Jesus  having  told  him  to  feed  His  sheep,  puts  the 
question  the  third  time.  But  now,  as  if  to  help  Peter 
up.  He  comes  down  to  his  word:  ‘^phileis  Mee^  lovest 
thou  Me%  Do  you  have  towards  Me  the  love  of  per- 
sonal affection?” 

This  seemed  a severe  thrust.  It  apparently  called  in 
question  not  the  reality,  but  endurance  of,  philein^ 
the  personal  affection,  the  lower  kind  of  attachment 
which  he  had  claimed.  It  was  an  appeal  to  his  most 
self-penetrative  knowledge.  Its  object  was  to  deepen 
his  consciousness  of  his  fall,  and  to  recall  both  the  proud 
presumption  with  which  he  had  overvalued  himself,  and 
the  cowardly  debasement  with  which  he  had  so  shame- 
fully denied  his  Lord.  And  this,  not  to  lacerate  the 
wound  afresh,  but  to  produce  genuine  humility.  And 
this  it  did.  Peter  was  sorrowful  (Greek).  With  very 
deep  feeling,  he,  I'Qr  the  third  time,  repeated  his  oidas 


THE  HOLY  RESUHPECTION. 


107 


Thouhnowest  all  thingSj&c.  This  verb  signifies  the  actual 
perception  of  an  object,  (a)  by  the  senses,  (b)  by  the 
mind.  Thou  hast  from  Thyself  (perfect,  middle),  an  ac- 
tual perception  of  tapanta^  all  things.  Thou  perceivest, 
and  hast  perceived.  My  heart,  and  every  fact  and  feature 
of  my  life,  my  fall,  my  penitence.  And  from  this  percep- 
tion, ginoosTcefs^  Thou  hast  come  to  Tcnow^  hast  gained 
a knowledge  of  the  fact — for  this  is  the  force  of  this 
verb — ^‘that  I love  Thee.”  Thus  Peter  opened  his  whole 
heart  to  Jesus’  inspection.  And  Jesus,  in  the  word, 
‘^the  time  is  coming  when  thou  must  choose  between 
denial  and  confession,  and  when  confession  will  be  death,” 
showed  Peter  how  certainly  He  knew  all  things. 

To  Peter’s  thrice-repeated  answer  Jesus  gave  a thrice- 
repeated  commission.  The  first  one  was,  ioslce  ta  arnia 
moib^  feed  my  little  lambs.  They,  first  and  most  of  alb 
need  nourishment;  not  discipline  so  much  as  abundance 
of  good  and  wholesome  food,  given  from  a loving  heart 
and  by  a loving  hand.  And  Jesus  used  the  verb  boske^ 
which  signifies  simply  to  feed^  and  implies  personal 
care  in  the  feeding.  The  second  one  was,  poimaine  ta 
probata.^  feed  My  sheep.  This  is  a higher  and 
more  comprehensive  verb  than  boskej  lead,  like  a shep- 
herd leads  a fiock.  It  includes  the  whole  idea  and 
office  of  the  shepherd,  leading,  guiding,  feeding.  Here 
the  pastoral  care  and  oversight  are  declared  to  be  an 
equally  important  office  with  the  gathering  in.  ‘‘Feed 
My  probata.^  sheep.^'^  The  sheep,  and  also  the  lambs, 
belong  to  Jesus.  Peter  shows  us  (1  Epis.  v,  2*4),  how 
deeply  he  had  learned  this  lesson,  and  how  careful  he 


108  THE  HOLY  RESUKRECTION. 

was  even  in  tlie  words  he  uses  to  recognize  this  fact. 
And  when  any  preacher  dares  to  take  that  word  into  liis 
mouth  and  say,  church,’’  ^4ny  flock,”  he,  if  the 

church  is  really  one  ot  Christ’s,  shocks  the  instincts  of 
the  spiritual  mind,  and  robs  Jesus  of  His  rights.  The 
pastor  is  simply  a shepherd,  and  he  should  feel  and  rec- 
ognize this  fact  as  much  in  the  w^ords  he  uses  as  in  the 
duties  which  he  performs.  He  is  to  feed 
the  full-grown  sheep ; also  prohitia^  (the  read- 

ing of  A.B,0.  Sin.Yat.,  and  adopted  by  Tisch.,  Treg.,  Alf., 
Lange,  Godet),  the  little  sheep^  i.e.y  those  half-grown,  (a 
term  expressing  tenderneis),  and  arnia^  the  little  lainhSy 
i,e,y  the  children  and  the  little  ones  in  faith  and  spirit- 
ual growth.  He  is  hosheiny  to  feed  y Le.y  give  the  most 
personal  care  to  the  whole  flock,  not  over- looking  any, 
and  poiinamein^leady  like  a shepherd,  into  the  green 
j)astures,  by  the  quiet  waters  of  grace,  and  under  the 
shelter  of  the  Man  who  is  a hiding  place  from  the  storm, 
and  a refuge  from  the  tempest.  The  study  of  the  Epjis- 
tles,  and  especially  of  Acts  xx,  28,  with  the  context  from 
VS.18,  on,  shows  how  thoroughly  the  apostles  had  learned 
this  great  lesson,  and  how  constantly,  and  conscien- 
tiously they  acted  upon  it. 

John  undoubtedly  gives  the  exact  words.  And  these, 
with  the  narrative  in  which  they  are  embedded,  suggest 
Jesus’  object  in  putting  these  questions.  We  repeat. 
His  prayer  had  kept  Peter’s  faith  from  failing.  His 
look  had  melted  Peter’s  heart  to  contrition.  His  ap- 
pearance to  Peter  had  given  assurance  of  forgiveness 
and  restoration  of  soul.  He  would  now  restore  him  to 


THE  HOLY  itESUKHEC'TiON.  lOS 

tile  apostlesliip,  to  the  place  where,  being  converted,,  he 
could  strengthen  the  brethren  and  glorify  God  by  his 
death — a privilege  which  he  had  forfeited  by  his  unbelief 
and  denial.  But  love  to  Jesus,  and  voluntpuy  self-devo- 
tion, are  indispensable  conditions  or  pre-requisites,  on 
which  ministry  for  Jesus  depends.  Therefore  these 
questions  were  put.  They  were  rightly  answered.  Je- 
sus, therefore,  in  His  commission,  ‘^Feed,  &c.,’’  restored 
him  to  the  place  in  the  apostolate  which  he  had  for- 
feited by  his  fall. 

Another  object  was  the  emancipation  of  Peter  from 
the  thraldom  of  self.  The  sharply  incisive  questions 
opened  to  Peter  the  depths  of  his  own  being.  He  saw 
that  love  was  there,  but  that  it  came  not  from  himself, 
but  from  grace,  upon  wliich  also  the  continuance  and 
growth  were  dependent.  Thus  was  he  taught,  and  filled 
with,  humility.  Thus  he  saw  the  folly  of  any  confidence 
in  the  flesh.  Thus  he  learned  to  cling  only  and  always 
to  Jesus  for  all.  And  he  now  knew  that  be  could  feed 
the  lambs,  and  be  shepherd  over  the  flock,  as  Jesus  would 
have  the  v/ork  done,  only  by  being  filled  with  love,  and 
by  drawing  all  his  supplies  from  God. 

And  another  object  yet  was  to  prepare  him  for  the 
trial  and  death  so  painful  to  the  flesh,  so  abhorrent  to 
the  will,  wliich  were  before  him.  Jesus  constituted 
him  a witness  in  the  full  power  of  a martyr-faith.  In 
the  wo)ds,  ‘‘thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands,  and  an- 
other shalt  gird  thee,  and  carry  thee  whither  thou  would- 
est  not,”  He  signified  to  him  by  what  death  he  should 
glorify  God.  To  this  end  he  pledged  strength  to  serve 


no  THE  HOLY  RESURREOTlOit, 

without  fear  of  a second  denial,  and  grace  to  die  as  a 
martyr  should.  And  such  a lesson  would  lead  Peter  for- 
ever from  all  egotism. 

To  call  into  present  exercise  the  consciousness  of  this 
self-surrender,  Jesus  said  to  him,  ^^Follow  Me” — in  the 
power  of  resurrection,  in  the  path  of  testimony  and  sufE- 
ering,  by  the  way  of  the  cross,  to  the  rest  in  which  that 
path  ends,  and  to  the  glory  to  which  that  resurrection 
leads.  And  thus  He  now,  in  spirit,  makes  good  that 
promise  given  him  at  the  Supper:  ‘^Whither  I go  thou 
canst  not  follow  Me  now\  but  thou  shalt  follow  Me 
afterwards  ” (John  xiii,  36.) 

Soon  as  Jesus  had  spoken  these  words  he  commenced 
withdrawing  from  the  company.  Peter,  taking  the 
words  in  a literal  sense,  proniptly  followed.  Turning 
about  he  saw  John — who,  having  heard  the  words  as 
though  addressed  to  himself, was  also  following  behind — 
and  asked,^^Lord,  and  what  shall  this  man  do?”  We  hear 
the  answer,  which  says  that  some  will  die  before,  and 
others  will  tarry  till.  He  comes.  We  see  in  Peter,  who 
soon  suffered  martyrdom,  and  in  John,  who  lived  to  be 
very  old  in  the  service  of  Jesus,  two  types  of  ministry, 
one,  those  who  testify  by  martyrdom,  the  other,  those 
who  testify  by  speech  and  by  pastoral  activity.  We  see 
Jesus  and  the  two  going  on.  And  though  in  Matthew 
we  have  another  appearance,  and  in  Luke  ascension, 
yet  in  John  this  is  the  last  glimpse  we  get.  On  the 
eye  follows  them  until  they  are  out  of  sight,  and  Jesus 
has  gone  up  to  heaven. 


THE  HOLT  RESURBECTION. 


Ill 


Jesus’  Eighth  Appearance. 

To  the  Eleven,  and  to  above  five  hundred  at  once. 

Place : On  a mountain  in  Galilee. 

Time : April-May,  A.D.  30. 

Matt,  xxviii,  16-20;  Mark  xvi,  15-17 ; 1 Cor.  xv,  6* 

Alter  that  He  was  seen  of  above  five  hundred  breth- 
ren at  once;  of  whom  the  greater  part  remain  unto  this 
present  (i.e.,  about  twenty-five  years  after  the  Ascension) 
but  some  are  fallen  asleep. 

Then  the  Eleven  disciples  went ....  into  a (the,  too) 
mountain  where  Jesus  had  appointed  them.  And  when 
they  saw  Him,  they  worshipped  Him;  but  some  doubted 
(hesitated). 

And  Jesus  came  and  spake  (having  come,  spake,) 
unto  them,  saying.  All  power  (authority,  exousia)  is 
given  unto  Me  in  ien)  heaven,  and  in  {on^  epi)  earth. 
Go  ye  therefore  into  all  the  world  and  preach  Qceerugate) 
the  gospel  to  every  creature:  and  teach  (make  disciples 
of,  matheetuesate)  all  (the,  ta)  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  (into  the  name,  eis  to  onoma)  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit:  He  that  be- 
lieveth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved;  but  he  that  be- 
lieveth  not  shall  be  damned  (katahritheesetai) : Teaching 
{didasTcontes)  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  1 
have  commanded  you.  And  these  signs  shall  follow  them 
that  believe:  in  My  name  shall  they  cast  out  demons; 
they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues;  they  sliall  take  up 
serpents;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing  it  shall 
not  hurt  them;  they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and 
they  shall  recover.  And  lo,  I am  with  you  always  (all 
the  days  pasas  tas  heemeras)^  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world  (of  the  age,  tou  aioonas).  Amen. 

This  was  the  chief  and  most  decisive  meeting  of  Jesus 
with  His  disciples  after  His  resurrection.  It  was  the 


112 


THE  HOLY  RESHRRECTIOK. 


only  meeting  which,  with  its  time  and  place,  He  had  ap- 
pointed; and  its  importance,  significance  and  solemnity 
were  very  great.  There  the’Ohnrch  received  her  great 
commission. 

Mark  speaks  only  of,  Matthew  gives  special  promin- 
ence to,  the  Eleven.  But  the  solemnity  of  the  discourse 
seems  befitting  only  to  an  assembly  which  would  rep- 
resent the  entire  infant  Church.  The  promise  of  this 
meeting,  given  before  His  death,  evidently  respects  the 
gathering  together  of  the  fiock  scattered  by  His  death 
(Matt,  xxvi,  31,  32.)  This  promise,  repeated  on  the 
morning  of  His  resurrection  when  He  had  made  the  ap- 
pointment, and  mentioned  also  by  the  angels  (Matt, 
xxviii,  7,  10),  was  given  to  the  women,  who  also,  cer- 
tainly, were  included  in  it,  and  who  were  told  to  tell  it 
to  the  disciples,  whom  Jesus  calls  My  brethren  (John 
XX,  17).  This  appointment,  and  the  fact  of  His  res- 
urrection, would  be  rapidly  circulated  among  all  the 
faithful.*  All  who  could  would  be  gathered  eis  to  oros, 
to  the  mountain  where  etaxato  autois  He  had  ajojoointed 
them.  For  His  word  was,  ‘^kahei  mee  opsontai^  there 
shall  they  see  MeP  And  the  universal  conviction  of 
the  church  in  all  ages  has  been  that  then  and  there  were 
gathered  the  more  than  five  hundred  brethren  of  whom 
Paul,  twenty-five  years  later,  speaks,  as  having  seen,  at 
one  time,  Jesus  alive,  and  part  of  whom  were  living 
when  he  wrote.^ 

The  mountain  on  which  this  assembly  gathered  is 


[*See  Stier’s  admirable  remarks.  Word^  of  Jesus,  viii,  278.] 


THE  HOLY  HESURHECTION. 


113 


unknown.  Perhaps  it  was  Tabor,  perhaps  the  mount 
of  Beatitudes,  where  the  Sermon  had  been  delivered,  and 
which  was  near  the  sea  of  Tiberias. 

But  whatever  the  mountain,  there  they  assembled, 
and  there  ophthee  (Paul),  He  was  seen  by  the  eye.*  And 
idontes  auton^  having  seen,  Le,^  having  perceived  Him, 
by  the  senses  knew  Him.  His  majesty  was  so  apparent, 
showing  that  He  presented  Himself  in  the  glory  of  His 
divinity  as  well  as  in  His  exalted  humanity,  that  they 
^‘worshipped:’’!  hoide^hut  some  few,  not  of  the  Eleven, 
but  of  the  others,  doubted,  we  are  frankly  told.  The 
some  doubted,  hesitated,  not  whether  Jesus  was  arisen, 
but  whether  this  was  Jesus.  Then,  prosalthoon — elal- 
eleen — legoon  (words  belonging  to  the  majesty  of  His 
appearance),  Jesus,  having  come  nearer  to  them,  to  all, 
especially  to  those  who  doubted,  spahe^  saying^  and  His 
presence  and  words  took  away  all  doubt. 

The  consciousness  of  His  position  as  King  and  Judge, as 
well  as  Saviour,  must  have  stamped  itself  on  His  face, and 
appeared  in  His  bearing,  as  well  as  in  H’is  words.  His 
themes  were  of  commanding  importance:  His  exaltation 
and  lordship,  as  Messiah;  the  conversion  of  the  nations, 
and  their  discipling  by  the  testimony  of  men;  and  their 
obedience  to  Him.  He  issues  great  commands,  and 
gives  boundless  promises.  To  Him,  as  Eternal  Son^ 
power  was  given  from  eternity  (Matt,  xi,  27) ; and  now 
it  is  given  to  Him  as  God«Man,  obedient  Servant  and 

[*The  verb  is  from  the  obsolete  verb,  a^to^  from  ops,  the  eye.] 

[^AutOy  Him,  because  wanting  in  B.  C.  Sin.,  and  other  vers.,  is 
omitted  by  the  best  critics.] 


lli 


THE  HOLY  RESURHEOTIOK. 


/ 


Risen  Lord.  And  as  such,  He,  with  ascension,  took  full 
possession  of  that  glory  which,  as  Eternal  Son,He  had  be- 
fore the  world  began.  To  Him,  as  Jesus,  edothee  pas- 
exousiaj  all  authority  was  given,  and  all  power  to  ex- 
ecute it,  ^‘in  heaven,’^  where  is  the  origin,  ground  and 
seat  of  His  dominion,  ^^and  on  earth,’’  where  this  author- 
ity and  power  are  to  be  exercised  over  nature  aud  over 
all  flesh  (Matt.  ix.  27;  Jolm  xiii,  3;  xvii,  2.) 

Thus  does  He  represent  Himself  as  Lord  of  Heaven  and 
of  earth,  and  deelai'e  (a)  that  universal  lordship  i§  in  His 
hand,  and  (b)  that  He  exercises  the  kingly  office  of  pow- 
er, as  of  grace.  And  because  of  this  He  claims  the  dis- 
cipleship  and  obedience  of  all  nations.  ‘^Go  ye”  {oun^ 
therefore^  Matt,  is  not  genuine).  He  said,  to  the  church 
which  He  had  already  founded  on  the  confession  of  His 
Person.  As  at  Pentecost  He  poured  out  The  Spirit 
on  the  whole  assembled  church,  so  here,  not  to  the  apos- 
tles alone,  but  to  all — for  no  discrimination  is  made — 
He  commits  these  instructions  for  the  world’s  evan^el- 
ization.  ‘^Go  ye",”  seeking  to  bring  the  world  into  will- 
ing and  loving  subjection  to  Me;  by  truth  as  the  only 
weapon,  by  persuasion  and  conviction  of  the  truth  as 
the  only  ground  in  the  heart.  ^^Go  ye  into  all  the  world” 
— progressive,  penetrating,  unresting,  unlimited  move- 
ment this — ‘^and  preach  the  Gospel.”  That  is,  every- 
where announce  My  life,  death,  resurrection  and  salva- 
tion (1  Cor.  XV,  1-6),  Do  not  preach  at,  around,  away 
from,  or  something  else  for,  it,  but  it  itself.  Teaching 
is  for  the  saved  (Tit.  ii,  11,  12).  The  gospel  is  for  sin- 
ners. Do  not  teach  doctrines  labeled  the  gospel.  But 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


115 


preach  the  glad  tidings  of  grace  in  all  their  fulness, 
comprehensiveness  and  tenderness.  Preach  them  with 
simplicity  and  fervour,  and  with  all  that  clearness  and 
profound  conviction  of  their  importance  and  blessedness 
which  will  carry  conviction  to  understanding,  conscience 
and  heart.  Preach  them  ‘^to  every  creature.”  Tell  every 
♦ human  being  that  My  salvation  is  for  him  if  he  will 
have  it.  Tell  every  one  the  consequences  of  not  believ- 
ing, and  of  believing  and  being  baptized.  Tell  also  of 
the  signs  that  parakoloutheesei^,  shall  proceed  along 
with  all  them  that  believe.  (Matt,  xvi,  17.) 

The  gospel  must  precede,  and  is  a condition  of  the 
making  disciples  of  all  nations.  The  verb,  matheeteuoo^ 
(in  E.Y.,  teaGh^\^  used  transitively,  in  N.T.,  to  make  a 
disciple  of  one  (John  iv,  1;  Matt,  xiii,  2-;  xviii,  20; 
xxvii,  57;  Acts  xiv,  21;  x,  41.)  It  marks  the  point 
where  one  who  has  not  been,  is,  under  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel,  willing  to  become,  a disciple.  This  is  shown 
in  his  being  baptized,  or  if  he  has  been  baptized  in  in- 
fancy, in  recognizing  the  parental  act  as  his  own.  Hav- 
ing brought  them  to  this  point,  how  to  make  disciples, 
by  leading  them  to  be  willing  to  become  disciples, 
Jesus  goes  on  to  say,  haptizonte^" participle), 
baptizing  them  eis  to  onoma^  into  the  name  (Matt, 
xviii,  50),  as  into  Christ,  &c.  (Rom.  vi  3;  Gal.  iii,  27). 
The  eis  to  &c.,  means  (a)  the  element  in  which,  (Mark 
i,  9;  Rom.  vi,  3,  4),  (b)  the  object  to  which  (Matt. 

[*The  reading  of  the  T.  R.  retained  by  all  modern  critical  editors, 
is  found  in  Cod.  Sin.  A.,  and  in  most  Mss.  Two  Mss.  only  have 
hariUzantes^ 


116 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTIOK. 


iii,  11;  Acts  ii,  35),  or  (c)  the  authority  by  which  (1  Cor. 
x,  2 ; Acts  x,  48)  one  is  baptized.  To  onoma^  the  name 
comprehends  all  that  belongs  to  the  person.  It  is  not 
the  essence,  but  the  expression  and  manifestation  of  the 
essence.  The  name  of  God  stands  for,  and  comprehends 
the  nature  and  all  that  belongs  to  God,  as  revealed  (Ex. 
vi).  The  phrase,  lap.  eis  to  on.^  signifies  (a)  the  sub-  ^ 
Jective  recognition,  and  (b)  the  objective  admission. 
Paul’s  word  is  very  strong.  By  one  Spirit  we  are  all 
baptized  into  one  body  (1  Cor.  xii,  13/  Gal.  iii,  27;  Rom. 

V,  1) — all  become  partakers  of  the  nature  of  God. 

The  noun  is  in  the  singular,  not  names,  but  name — 
one  name.  The  juxtaposition  is  equal,  without  distinct- 
ion or  division.  While  there  is  independency  of  con- 
sciousness, there  is  unity  of  essence.  The  phrase  points 
out  both  equality  and  personality.  It  is  a plain  state- 
ment of  the  trinity  of  the  Divine  Nature.  And  this 
truth,  because  taught  in  the  same  connection  in  which 
the  mission  is  commanded  and  the  baptism  appointed, 
must  be  fundamental.  From  this  point  all  Christian 
truth  must  issue,  and  in  it  must  end. 

‘‘In  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
The  Holy  Spirit.”  This  formula,  now  first  spoken, 
finds  its  source  in  the  baptism  of  Jesus.  There,  Father, 
Son  and  Spirit  were  first  tully  revealed  in  adorable  un- 
itj.  The  Father  bore,  the  Son  received,  witness,  and  The 
Spirit  abode  upon  Him,^.^.,the  Son.  The  Father  had  man- 
ifested Himself  in  sending  The  Son.  The  Son  had  man- 
ifested Himself  in  coming,  and  in  resurrection,  and  soon 
would  in  ascension.  The  Spirit  would  manifest  Him- 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION, 


117 


self  in  oiit-pouring.  And  people  become  disciples,  by 
being  baptized  into  the  name  of  this  Thrce-One  God, 
who  has  thus  been  manifested. 

Didashontes  autous^  teaching  them^  i.  e.,  the  baptized. 
The  grace  that  brings  salvation  to  the  lost,  teaches  the 
saved.  The  process  is,  preach  the  gospel — baptize — 
teach.  Give  instruction  to  them,  teach.  Teach  what? 
Teerein^  to  ha/ve  an  eye  upon^  watch  narrowly,  observe 
to  keep,  in  faith  and  act  together  in  living  VLm.\r^^panta'> 
all  that  I have  commanded.  Teach  the  facts  and  all 
the  doctrines  which  come  out  of  the  facts:  teach  the 
promises  and  precepts  with  their  foundation  and  extent: 
teach  all  things  that  have  been  received  from  My  life  and 
My  words.  Tell  them  everything  which  I have  com- 
manded, and  tell  them  that  all  is  to  be  observed. 

And  ]o,  I,  who  now  stand  before  you  in  My  glorified 
humanity,  and  who  will  ascend  (for  otherwise  He  could 
not  be  with  His  disciples  in  every  place  and  in  all  time), 
am  with  you,  by  My  Spirit,  for  light,  strength,  comfort, 
assistance,  defense,  pasas  tas  hemems^  all  the  days — 
the  dark  and  distressful,  as  well  as  the  bright  ones — as 
I have  been,  though  not  always  visibly,  present  with  you 
since  My  resurrection — eos  tees  sunteleias  ton  aioonos^ 
until  the  end  of  the  age^  or  dispensation. 

This  is  the  great  word  to  that  little  company  on  that 
little  mountain,  in  little  Galilee.  This  is  the  great  task 
for  that  company.  By  them  the  whole  world  is  to  be 
won.  And  yet  the  whole  wisdom  and  power  of  the 
world  is  incapable  of  winning  one  soul  to  God.  This  is 
the  last  great  resurrection  appearance  given  in  Matthew, 


118  THE  HOLY  KESUERECTION. 

and  J esus^  last  word.  It  links  the  Church’s  warfare, 
work  and  conquest  with  His  sufferings  and  death.  It 
shows  the  connection  between  this  work  and  His  resur- 
rection. And  its  closing  words,  ^do,  I am  with  you  all 
the  days,”  linger,  like  the  song  of  the  summer  bird,  in 
the  soul. 

Jesus'  Ninth  Appearance-to  James. 

Date  and  circumstances  unknown.  Place,  probably  Jerusalem. 

Jesus’  Tenth  Appearance-to  The  Eleven. 

Place,  Jerusalem,  Mount  Olives,  and  the  Bethany  slope. 
Time,  Thursday,  May  18th  A.  D.  30, 

This  appearance  was  in  connection  with  His  Ascension,  and  was 
followed  ten  days  after.  Lord’s  Day,  May  28th,  A.D.  30,  by  the 
Descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Mark  xvi,  19,  20;  Luke  xxiv,  49-53;  John  xx,  30;  xxi,  25;  Acts  i, 

2-14;  ii;  1 Cor.  xv,  7. 


After  that  He  was  seen  of  James. 

Then  of  all  the  apostles  whom  He  had  chosen.  To 
whom  He  showed  Himself  alive  after  His  passion,  by 
many  infallible  proofs,  being  seen  of  them  forty  days 
and  speaking  of  the  things  of  the  kingdom  of  God:  un- 
til the  day  in  which  He  was  taken  up,  after  that  He, 
through  The  Spirit,  had  given  commandments  unto  them. 
And  being  assembled  together  with  them.  He  com- 
manded them  that  they  should  not  depart  from  Jeru- 
salem, but  wait  for  the  promise  of  The  Father,  which, 
saith  He,  ye  have  heard  of  Me.  And  ye  are  witnesses 
of  these  things.  And,  behold,  I send  the  promise  of 
My  Father  upon  you:  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jer- 
usalem, until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high. 
For  John  truly  baptized  with  water;  but  ye  shall  be 
baptized  with  the  Holy  Spirit  not  many  days  hence. 

When  they  therefore  were  come  together,  they  asked 


THE  HOLY  RESURKECTION. 


119 


Him,  saying,  Lord,  wilt  Thou  at  this  timo  restore  again 
the  kingdom  to  Israel  ? 

And  He  said  unto  them,  It  is  not  for  you  to  know 
the  times  or  the  seasons  which  the  Father  hath  put  in 
His  own  power.  But  ye  shall  receive  power  after  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you:  and  ye  shall  be  wit- 
nesses unto  Me,  both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judi©, 
and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  (end)  of 
the  earth. 

So  then,  after  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  them — and 
when  He  had  spoken  these  things — hming  led  them  out 
as  far  as  to  Bethany,  He  lifted  up  His  hands  and  blessed 
them.  And  it  came  to  pass  while  He  blessed  them,  while 
they  beheld.  He  was  parted  from  them,  and  taken  up; 
and  a cloud  received  Him  out  of  their  sight.  And  He 
was  carried  up,  and  received  up  into  heaven:  and  sat  on 
the  right  hand  of  God. 

And  while  they  looked  steadfastly  toward  heaven  as 
He  went  up,  behold  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white  ap- 
parel, which  also  said.  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye 
gazing  up  into  heaven?  this  same  Jesus  which  is  taken 
up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  (will,  eleusatai)  come 
in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  Him  go  into  heaven. 

And  they  worshipped  Him. 

Then  returned  they  with  great  Joy  unto  Jerusalem, 
from  the  mount  called  Olivet,  which  is  from  Jerusalem  a 
Sabbath-day’s  Journey.  And  they  were  continually  in 
the  Temple  praising  and  blessing  God.  Amen. 

And  when  they  were  come  in,  they  went  up  into  an 
(the,  ta)  upper  room,  where  (they  then)  abode,  both  Peter 
and  James,  and  John  and  Andrew,  Philip  and  Thomas, 
Bartholomew  and  Matthew,  James  the  son  of  Alphseus, 
and  Simon  Zelotes,  and  Judas  (John)  the  brother  of 
James.  These  all  continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and 
supplication,  with  the  women,  and  Mary  the  mother  of 


120 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


Jesus,  and  with  His  brethren.  The  number  of  names 
together  were  about  one  hundred  and  twelve. 

And  when  the  da}^  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  they 
were  all  with  one  acco)  d in  one  place.  And  suddenly 
there  came  a sound  from  heaven  as  of  a rushing  mighty 
wind,  and  it  filled  all  the  house  where  they  were  sitting. 
And  there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues  (^tongues 
parting  or  distributing  themselves),  like  as  of  hre,  and 
it  sat  (rested  itself),  upon  each  of  them.  And  they 
were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  began  to  speak 
with  other  tongues,  as  The  Spirrt  gave  them  utterance. 

And  there  were  dwelling  at  Jerusalem  Jews,  devout 
men  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven. 

Now  when  this  was  noised  abroad  (when  this  voice 
was  heard),  the  multitude  came  together,  and  were  con- 
founded (troubled  in  mind),  because  that  every  one 
heard  them  speak  in  his  own  language  (dialect).  A.nd 
they  were  all*  amazed  and  marvelled,  saying  one  to  an- 
other, Behold  are  not  all  these  which  speak,  Galilseans? 
And  how  hear  we  every  man  in  our  own  tongue  (dialect), 
wherein  we  were  born?  Parthians,  and  Medes,  and  El- 
amites, and  the  dwellers  in  (inhabitants  of)  Mesopotamia, 
andin  Judse,  and  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus,  and  Asia, 
Phrygia,  and  Pamphylia,  in  Egypt,  and  in  the  parts  of 
Libya  about  Gyrene,  and  strangers  of  Rome  (Romans 
here  pVesent),  Jews  and  proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arab- 
ians we  do  hear  them  speak  in  our  tongues  the  won- 
derful works  of  God!  And  they  v^ere  all  amazed,  and 
were  in  doubt,  saying  one  to  another.  What  meaneth 
this  (what  can  this  be)?  Others  mocking,  said.  These 
men  are  full  of  new  (sweet,  gletticous)  wine. 


[^Pantes^  ally  is  found  in  Cod.  Sin.  but  is  wanting  in  B.  D.  The 
best  writers  opiit  it.[ 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


121 


Blit  Peter,  standing  up  with  the  Eleven,  lifted  up  his 
voice,  and  spake  forth  unto  them,  saying,Ye  men  of 
Judse,  and  all  ye  that  dwell  at  Jerusalem,  be  this  known 
unto  you,  and  give  ear  unto  my  words.  For  these  are 
not  drunken,  as  ye  suppose;  seeing  it  is  but  the  third 
hour  in  the  day;  but  this  is  that  which  hath  been  spoken 
by  the  prophet  Joel: 

And  it  shall  be  in  the  last  days,  saith  God, 

I will  pour  forth  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh  : 

And  your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy, 

And  your  young  men  shall  see  visions, 

And  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams; 

Yea  and  on  my  servants  and  on  my  handmaidens  in  those  days 
Will  I pour  forth  ot  my  Spirit;  and  they  shall  prophesy. 

And  I will  shew  wonders  in  the  heaven  above, 

And  signs  on  the  earth  beneath; 

Blood,  and  fire,  and  vapour  of  smoke : 

The  sun  shall  be  turned  into  darkness, 

And  the  moon  into  blood. 

Before  the  day  of  the  Lord  come. 

That  great  and  notable  day : 

And  it  shall  be,  that  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  saved. 

Ye  men  of  Israel,  hear  these  words:  Jesus  of  Nazar- 
eth, a man  approved  of  God  unto  you  by  mighty  works 
and  wonders  and  signs,  which  God  did  by  him  in  the 
midst  of  you,  even  as  ye  yourselves  know;  Him,  being 
delivered  up  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowl- 
edge of  God,  ye  by  the  hand  of  lawless^  men  did  crucify 
and  slay:  whom  God  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  pangs 
of  death:  because  it  was  not  possible  that  he  should  be 
holden  of  it.  For  David  saith  concerning  him, 

I beheld  the  Lord  always  before  my  face ; 

For  he  is  on  my  right  hand,  that  1 should  not  be  moved: 
Therefore  my  heart  was  glad,  and  my  tongue  rejoiced; 
Moreover  my  flesh  also  shall  dwell  in  hope : 

Because  Thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  Hades, 

Neither  wilt  Thou  give  thy  Holy  One  to  see  corruption. 

Thou  madst  known  unto  me  the  ways  of  life ; 

Thou  shalt  make  me  full  of  gladness  with  thy  countenance. 

^ [*Or,  men  without  the  law.] 


122 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


Brethren,  I may  say  unto  you  freely  of  the  patriarch 
David,  that  he  both  died  and  was  buried,  and  his  tomb 
is  with  us  unto  this  day.  Being  therefore  a prophet, 
and  knowing  that  God  had  sworn  with  an  oath  to  him, 
that  of  the  fruit  of  his  loins  He  would  set  One  upon  his 
throne;  he  foreseeing  this  spake  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  Christ,  that  neither  was  He  left  in  Hades,  nor  did  His 
flesh  see  corruption.  This  Jesus  did  God  raise  up, 
whereof  we  all  are  witnesses.  Being  therefore  by  the 
right  hand  of  God  exalted,  and  having  received  of  the 
Father  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  He  hath  poured 
forth  this,  which  ye  see  and  hear.  For  David  ascended 
not  into  the  heavens : but  he  saith  himself. 

The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand, 

Till  I make  thine  enemies  the  footstool  of  thy  feet. 

Let  all  the  house  of  Israel  therefore  know  assuredly, 
that  God  hath  made  Him  both  Lord  and  Ohrist,this  Jesus 
whom  ye  crucifled. 

How  when  they  heard  this,  they  were  pricked  in  their 
hearts,  and  said  unto  Peter  and  the  rest  of  the  apostles, 
Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do? 

Then  Peter  said  unto  them.  Repent,  ye,  and  be  bap- 
tized every  one  of  you  in  (upon,  ejpi)  the  name  of  J esus 
Christ  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  for  the  promise  is  unto  you, 
and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off*,  even  as 
many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call. 

And  with  many  other  words  did  he  testify  and  exhort, 
saying.  Save  yourselves  from  this  untoward  (crooked) 
generation. 

Then  they  that  received^  (having  received)  his  (the, 


S^A^menoos^  gladly^  is  wanting  in  the  most  important  Mss.,  an- 
cient Versions  and  Churcli  Fathers.  It  is  cancelled  by  Lach- 
mann,  Tischendorf  and  Alford.] 


THE  HOLY  KESTJRREOTIOH. 


123 


ton^  word  were  baptized:  and  the  same  day  there  were 
added  unto  them  about  three  thousand  souls.  And  they 
continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles’  doctrine  (teaching), 
and  fellowship,  in  (the,  te^  breaking  of  bread,  and  in 
(the,  tais)  prayers. 

And  fear  came  upon  every  soul:  and  many  signs  were 
done  by  (through,  dicb)  the  apostles.  And  all  that  be- 
lieved were  together,  and  had  all  things  common;  and 
they  sold  their  possessions  and  goods,  and  parted  them 
to  all,  according  as  (kathoti)  every  (any,  tis)  man  had 
need.  And  they,  continuing  daily  (day  by  day,  contin- 
uing steadfastly),  with  one  accord  in  the  temple,  and 
breaking  bread  from  house  to  house  (at  home),  did  eat 
their  meat  (food)  with  gladness  and  singleness  of  heart, 
praising  God,  and  having  favor  with  all  the  people. 
And  the  Lord  added  to  the  Church  daily  such  as  should 
be  saved  (those  there  were  being  saved,  soozomonous). 


THE  CLOSING  WORDS  OF  THE  GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  JOHN. 

And  many  other  signs  truly  did  Jesus  in  the  presence 
-of  His  disciples,  which  are  not  written  in  this  book.  But 
these  things  are  written,  that  ye  might  believe  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God;  and  that  believing 
ye  might  have  life  through  His  name.  And  there  are 
also  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did,  the  which  if 
they  were  written  every  one,  I suppose  that  even  the 
world  itself  could  not  contain  the  books  which  should 
be  written.  Amen. 


The  appearance  to  J ames  is  mentioned  only  by  Paul. 
When,  where,  and  for  what  object  it  was  granted  we  are 
not  informed.  Not  improbably  its  object  was  the  con- 
version of  His  brother,  who  hitherto  could  not  accept 


124 


THE  HOLY  -RESURRECTION. 


Him  as  the  Messiah  (John  vii,  5),  and  who  ever  after 
is  found  associated  with  the  apostles.^ 

The  last  appearance  was  to  all  the  apostles.  This 
was  in  Jerusalem.  There,  were  the  parting  words  to  be 
spoken,  the  Ascension  to  occur,  and  the  foundation  of 
the  Church  to  be  laid.  Thither,  within  a day  or  two  of 
the  Ascension,  the  apostles  and  others  had  returned  from 
Galilee — perhaps  by  express  direction  of  Jesus. 

From  Jesus’  words  at  the  Supper,  and  to  Mary  at  the 
tomb,  they  expected,  most  probably,  that  Jesus’  return 
to  the  Father  would  be  open  and  most  august.  Inti- 
mations of  the  day  when,  may  have  been  given.  This 
was  Thursday,  May  18th,  A.D.  30.  Besides  Mark’s  in- 
timation, Luke’s  is  the  only  account  of  that  day’s  occur- 
rences. He  introduces  his  statement  by  a brief  summary 
covering  the  forty  days.  While  yet  in  the  world  J esus 
had  shown  Himself  equally  to  all,  beseeching  men  to  be 
reconciled  to  God,  and  seeking  to  win  their  confidence 
by  services  of  unwearied  love.  But  they  had  rejected 
and  hated  Him  and  His  Father,  and  had  put  Him  to 
death.  Hence,  they  were  not  entitled  to  see  Him  now 
in  resurrection,  and  on  His  way  to  the  highest  heavens. 
But  to  those  who  had  received  Him  as  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God,  He,  during  the  forty  ijaristeesen  eau- 

[*Two  of  Christ’s  apostles  were  named  James.  The  elder  of 
them,  John's  brother,  was  put  to  death  by  Herod  (Acts  xii,  2). 
The  otlier,  Jesus’  brother, was  called  The  Less.  It  is  not  certain  which 
of  them  Paul  means.  If  the  first,  Paul  probably  learned  it  by  tradi- 
tion; if  the  latter,  he  might  have  had  it  from  James  himself  when 
he  saw  him  at  Jerusalem  (Gal.  i,  19) ; and  who  was  still  living, A.P, 
57,  when  this  epistle  was  writteu.] 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  125 

ton^  made  Himself  present^  zoonta^  living^  meta  to 
pathein  auton^  after  His  suffering  to,  and  in  death. 
While  optanomenoSy  being  seen^  and  legoon  ta^  speah^ 
ing  the  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  He 
gave  to  them  pollois  tehmeeriois^  many  evidences^  so 
established  as  to  be  incontestible — the  word  in  classic 
Greek  signifies  settled,  fixed — that  He  who  had  been 
dead  was  alive.  There  was  not,  as  to  this  fact  the  slight, 
est  possible  room  for  doubt.  This  continued  aehri  tees 
heemeras^  until  the  day  in  which  He  was  taken  up.  And 
on  that  day,  filled  with  events  of  commanding  impor- 
tance and  absorbing  interest,  they  not  once  lost  sight  of 
Him  until  He  disappeared  in  the  cloud. 

These  words  are  introduced  by  a word — sunalizoinenos 
being  assembled — which  plainly  points  to  a general  gath- 
ering, assembled  at  a place  and  time  appointed  by  Jesus. 
About  to  reveal  His  last  will  and  instructions,  and  then 
depart.  He  wished  the  apostles  and  the  rest  (Acts  i,  21) 
to  be  present.  And  the  significance  and  solemnity  of  the 
meeting  are  seen  in  this,  that  no  word  of  the  same  kind 
is  used  of  any  other  post-resurrection  meeting. 

He  had  accomplished  His  work,  and  upon  it,  as  the 
foundation,  had  placed  the  Church’s  mission.  He  had 
already  breathed  The  Spirit  into  His  disciples,  opened 
their  understandings,  and  given  them  the  first  (John  xx, 
21-23)  and  the  second  (Matt,  xxviii, 18-20)  parts,  and  now 
in  connection  with  His  Ascension  is  about  to  give  them 
the  third  part  (Acts  i,  8)  of  His  great  commission. 
The  whole  commission  is  very  comprehensive  and  very 
strong.  ‘^All  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  in 


126 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


earth;”  this  is  His  authority.  “Ye  shall  be  witnesses 
unto  Me these  were  the  persons.  “Go  ye  therefore 
this  was  the  command.  Its  essence  is  implicit  and  ah- 
solute  obedience:  go  always  and  anywhere  when  He 
bids,  hasten  when  He  draws  (Philip  ran,  &e.),  pause 
when  He  restrains.  Henceforth  they  were  to  be  of 
great,  and  their  testimony  of  supreme,  importance. 
“Begin  at  Jerusalem”  where  my  name  is  a by-word  and 
reproach,  where  atonement  has  been  made,  the  people 
are  being  prepared, The  Spirit  is  to  be  first  received,  the 
church’s  foundation  laid,  and  whence  the  word  of  God  is 
to  go  forth  (Is.  ii,  3-5).  Widen  then  the  sphere  of  thy 
labors.  Having  witnessed  in  Judsea,  the  field  of  My  la- 
bors, the  land  of  promise,  the  first  congenial  soil,  en« 
ter  “Samaria,”  the  missionary  field  between  Judaea  and 
the  Gentiles,  and  “white  already  to  harvest.”  Then  go 
everywhere,  “into  all  the  world,”  “among  all  nations,” 
“unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth” — so  that  no  re- 
gion, however  desolate  and  unpromising  may  be  left 
unexplored — “and  to  every  creature,”  how  sunken,  de- 
based and  bestial  soever  he  may  be ; this  was  to  be  the  field 
of  operations.  “Teach,”  “preach  the  gospel,”  “preach 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  in  My  name;”  this 
was  the  work  and  the  message.  “He  that  believeth 
and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved,”  “whosoever  sins  ye  re- 
mit they  are  remitted  unto  them,”  “he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  damned,”  “whosoever  sins  ye  retain  they 
are  retained;”  this  defines  the  character,  and  reveals 
the  greatness  of  the  work.  This  is  the  assurance  to 
those  addressed  of  the  unalterable  certainty  of  the  results 


THE  HOLY  KEStJRRECtlOK. 


127 


of  the  reception  or  rejection  of  Christ.  ‘^Baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit;’’  this  was  the  badge  of  disci pleship.  “Teach- 
ing them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I have  com- 
manded you;”  this  was  the  law  of  the  house.  “Lo  I 
am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  age;” 
this  was  the  assurance  of  His  presence  and  support, 
and  of  their  success,  by  His  Spirit,  until  He  come  again. 

This  was  their  great  commission.  To  live  and  preach 
worthily  in  the  exalted  position  in  which  it  placed 
them,  they  must  have  divine  aid.  And  ^^idou^  hehold^^ — 
a word  which  expresses  the  uniform  intervention  of  this 
aid — “I  send  the  promise  of  the  Father  which  ye  have 
heard  of  Me.”  Nor  must  they,  from  apprehension  of 
personal  danger  from  the  Council,  from  love  to  their 
native  Galilee,  nor  from  a desire  to  get  at  work,  leave 
the  city,  but  ‘^sit  stilly  Tcathizate^  until  enduseesthee^  ye 
he  clothed  with  power  from  on  high.”  The  explanation 
which  defines  this  word  by  equipping,  or  furnishing,  is 
superficial,  and  robs  it  of  its  profound  importance.  In 
the  Old  Testament  {Sept.  Yer.)  this  word  is  constantly 
used  to  express  the  sudden  afflatus  of  The  Spirit.  Gid- 
eon, Amazai,  Zachariah,  &c.,  were  ^‘clothed”  with  The 
Spirit  In  the  New  Test,  we  have,  “clothed  with  Christ” 
(Horn,  xiii,  14;  Gal.  iii,  27).  So  here,  clothed  with,  not 
exousia^  authority.^  hvXdunamin.^ power \ hence, inwardly. 
It  is  that  inward  power  (vs.  S)  that  entire,  internal  pen- 
etration and  actual  possession  which  completely  pene- 
trates and  clothes  the  moral  nature,  which  gives  evidence 
of  its  presence  by  the  expression  of  power  correspond- 


128 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


ing  thereto,  and  which  is  received  always,  but  only  from, 
and  by^  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

This  was  the  complement  of  the  in-breathing.  The 
latter,  though  real  and  precedent — for  no  in-breathing, 
no  baptism — was  but  provisional.  For  The  Spirit  went 
away  with  J esus,  and  was,  when  He  came,  sent  down  by 
Him  from  Heaven.  This  was  from  Him  as  the  As- 
cended, as  that  was  from  Him  the  Risen,  Head.  By 
this  He  would  initiate  them  into  Ascension,  as  He  had 
by  that  into  Resurrection.  How,  instead  of  getting  con- 
stantly drawn  into  and  being  defiled  by  evil  within  and 
around, instead  of,  though  seeking,  finding  notperfect  rest, 
they  had  liberty  and  triumph,  could  tell  of  the  power  of 
this  new  life,  could  gather  the  Church  on  resurrection 
ground,and  were  possessed  of  that  susceptibility  by  which 
they  could  be  gradually  prepared  for  the  suddenly  com- 
ing fulness.  This — for  the  order  is  perfect — is  the 
spark,  that  the  fiame,  this  the  dew,  that  the  copious 
shower,  this  gives  intelligence  of  the  new  man,  the  con- 
sciousness of  being  according  to  Christ,  which  must  pre- 
cede the  service  for  Him ; that,  the  power  for  that  ser- 
vice. This  fits  men  as  vessels  to  receive,  that,  as  chan- 
nels through  which  to  pour  forth,  the  fulness  of  God. 
In  fine,  by  this,  they  will  know  when  that  comes,  that 
it  is  The  Spirit  of  Christ  the  glorified  God-Man,  who  is 
60  gloriously  poured  out,  making  their  testimony  to 
Him  to  be  felt  in  intellect,  conscience  and  heart,  to 
the  conversion  of  men — the  blessed  results  of  the  living 
waters  fiowing  abroad. 

But  ‘‘tarry  ye  in  Jerusalem,”  for  the  Revealer  and 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


129 


Minister^^of  the  promises  which  are  yea  and  amen  in  Me,” 
for  Him  who  is  the  supreme  gift  in  which  all  others  ter- 
minate, and  without  which  you  cannot  begin  your  work. 
^‘For  John  truly  baptized  with  water” — I indeed,  said 
John, baptize  with  water  unto  repentance.This  cannot  give 
cleanness  of  heart.  But  it  is  the  sign  of  a higher  baptism : 
^‘The  Mightier  than  I cometh.  He  shall  baptize  you 
with  the  Holy  Spirit;”  and  this  is  an  action  on  the  soul. 
These  words  were  now  recalled  by  the  true  Baptist.  ^^John 
baptized  with  water,  but  ye” — in  whom  I have  breathed 
The  Spirit,  whose  understanding  I have  opened,  who 
now  are,  in  a profound  sense,  spiritual  men,  i,e.^  organs 
of  The  Spirit,  ^^ye  shall  be  baptized  m”  {en^  in  all  the 
passages,)  overwhelmed,  most  richly  endued,  ‘^with  the 
Holy  Spirit.”  Water  refreshes  the  body,  and  revives  its 
strength.  This  will  give  freshness  and  strength  to  the 
soul.  Water  changes  the  outward  condition  of  the  body, 
as  to  purity.  This  will  completely  penetrate  all  your 
mental  and  moral  powers,  give  that  sanctification  which 
is  the  end  and  aim  of  man’s  renewal,  power  also  propor- 
tionate to  the  work,  and  the  stamp  of  Divine  authority 
upon  what  you,  under  the  Spirit’s  direction,  do  and  say. 

John  adds,  ‘^and  with  fire,”  Fire,  like  water,  is  an 
emblem  of  The  Spirit,  as  “The  Spirit  of  burning.”  Fire 
consumes  matter.  The  Spirit  destroys  the  power  of  the 
old  nature,  thus  showing  its  destiny.  The  sacred  fire 
by  its  pervading  energy  dissolved  from  the  bands  of  this 
world  what  was  offered  in  sacrifice,  and  thus  set  it  free 
to  ascend,  as  sweet  incense,  to  heaven.  So  The  Spirit 
sets  free  the  mental  and  moral  powers  from  the  bands 


130 


THE  HOLY  KESURRECTIOH. 


of  this  world,  that  they  may  be  wholly  consecrated  to 
God.  He  kindles  a fire  in  the  soul,  which,  while  the 
man  muses,  burns,  which  makes  one  fervent  in  spirit, 
and  full  of  energy.  He  purifies  the  lips — as  He  did  Isai- 
ah’s— so  that  the  thoughts  burning  in  the  soul  shall 
come  out  through  the  tongue  of  fire.  And  He  also  pu- 
rifies the  people,  that  they  may  be  zealous  of  good  works. 

All  this  was  the  preparation  for  that  eventful  day — for 
the  baptism  which  was  to  come  ^^not  many  days  hence.” 

During  the  forty  days  Jesus  had  spoken  much  about 
the  kingdom  of  God.  And  His  now  speaking  of  the 
baptism  of  the  Spirit*  suggested  the  question,  ‘‘Lord, 
apokathistaneis^  wilt  Thoureszore  again^&Q.V^  The  verb 
is  used  in  classic  Greek  to  express  restoration  to  former 
place  and  state.  And  it  has  a similar  meaning  in  Matt, 
xii,  13;  Mark  hi,  5;  viii,  23;  Luke  vi,  10.  So  here.  The 
disciples  had  no  doubt  but  that  the  kingdom  would  be 
restored.  Jesus’  death,  resurrection,  instructions,  com- 
mission, and  promise  of  The  Spirit  had  dissipated  the 
Jewish  and  carnal  ideas  which  they  had  entertained 
(Luke  xix,  11,  &c).  They  saw  that  The  Spirit  would 
be  in  that  kingdom.  Their  understandings  had  been 
opened  to  understand  the  Scriptures.  In  them  they  had 
read  of  that  visible  kingdom  for  the  ancient  people  of 
God,  of  which  Gabriel — who  surely  could  not  have  had 
the  carnal  Jewish  ideas — spake  to  the  Virgin  (Luke  i, 
21),  and  unto  which  all  nations  should  come.  Though 
they  surely  could  not,  after  vs.  3,  cherish  any  conception 


[♦Most  critical  scholars  are  agreed  that  Tioi  men  oun  sunelthountU^ 
when  they  had  come  together^  vs.  6,  refers  to  the  meeting  on  that  day.] 


THE  HOLT  RESIJRRECTIOK. 


131 


of  that  kingdom  inconsistent  with  its  spiritual  character, 
yet  they  shared  not  in  that  tendency,  now  so  wide-spread, 
to  spiritualize  everything.  They  received  the.  promise 
and  prophecy  concerning  that  kingdom  just  as  they 
had  been  given.  They  saw  the  close  connection  between 
this  outward  kingdom  and  the  inward  conversion  of  the 
Jews.  They  ask  not  whether  it  would  be  re-established, 
for  of  that  they  had  no  doubt.  And  Jesus,  by  silence  on 
this  point,  confirmed  that  conviction.  But  they  asked 
as  to  the  time.  Dost  Thou  restore— the  verb,  ajpohatJi- 
istanais^  is  Jn  the  present  tense- — now,  en  too  chronoo^ 
in  this  time^  the  kingdom  to  Israel?  And  as  they  based 
their  expectation  of  this  restoration  of  the  kingdom  in 
its  outward  form,  upon  the  prophecy  and  promise  as 
they  understood  them,  their  question  practically  was. 
Will  it  now  be  restored  in  the  sense  in  which  we  un- 
stand it  was  promised?  And  will  it  be  introduced  by 
the  power  from  on  high? 

No  epoch  can  be  affirmed  of  an  imaginary  event. 
But  Jesus  affirms  an  epoch  of  this  kingdom  as  a reality, 
in  the  apostles’  conception  of  it.  He  justified  the  strong 
desire  for  its  coming.  The  New  Testament,  as  well  as  the 
Old,  4peaks  of  it.  And  it  will  come. 

■^'B^  the  time  when?  This  feature  of  the  question 
Jesus  rebuked.  It  showed  that  they  were  not  having 
that  waiting,  that  quiet  and  becoming  spirit  to  what  He 
had  said  which  they  ought.  They  were  impatient  as  to 
the  time.  <‘It  is  not,”  He  said,”  ^Toryou  (Matt,  xiii,  32) 
to  know  chronous^  the  periods^  spaces  of  time  forwards, 
e hai/nous^  or  epochs^  the  appointed  periods  (1  Thes.  v, 


132 


THE  HOLY  BESURREOTiOi^. 


1),  which,  not  Theos^  God^  but  ho  Pateer^  the  Father ^ 
ethetho^  has  fixed  in  His  own  exousia^  authority  and 
power.  The  kingdom  is  sure,  but  only  after  epoclis, 
which  the  Father  had  determined,  and,  for  the  present, 
concealed. 

But,  instead  of  receiving  this  information,  ye  shall, 
not  many  days  hence — in  contrast  with  the  times  and 
seasons — receive  dunanin^ power Srom  on  high — the  pro- 
phetical (Is.  xxxii,  15)  and  oft-repeated  expression  for 
heaven — by  and  after  The  Holy  Spirit’s  coming  upon 
you.  And  ye  shall  be,  not  prophets  of  the  future,  but 
workers  in  the  present,  and  martures^  witnesses  of  the 
past — witnesses  to,  or  martyrs  for.  Me,  as  the  case  may 
be.  While  recognizing  the  coming  kingdom,  whose 
foundations  they  were,  by  their  testimony  and  by  the 
power  of  The  Spirit  to  lay  in  the  convictions  of  men. 
He  calls  attention  to  present  and  practical  work  in  the 
kingdom  of  grace.  They  were  to  proclaim  the  works  of 
God,  in  Christ,  and  Christ’s  death  and  resurrection  for  the 
salvation  of  men.  This  was  work  enough  to  occupy  all 
their  time  and  thoughts.  And  it  was  worthy  of  their 
noblest  aim  and  efforts;  for  no  work  is  more  holy, 
comprehensive,  and,  though  arduous,  honorable. 

This  was  Jesus’  last  word.  It  was  given  to  all.  It 
constituted  the  whole  company  of  believers  witness- 
bearers  and  martyrs  for  Him  during  all  the  time  until 
He  comes  again.  Such,  always  and  everywhere,  even  to 
the  uttermost  ends  of  the  earth,  must  they  be  during 
the  whole  period  of  His  absence.  HE  GIYES  NO 
PEOMISE  OF  THE  WOELD’S  CONYEESION 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  133 

BEFOEE  EE  COMES.  This  was  not  in  their  com- 
mission. Their  business  was  to  preach  His  gospel. 
Their  testimony  must  be  given  regardless  of  the  conse- 
quences either  to  themselves  or  to  their  hearers — given 
in  the  power  of  The  Spirit — -given  actively  and  efficiently 
while  they  were  watching  and  waiting  for  their  Lord. 

Let  us  now  look  back  through  the  appearances  of 
Jesus,  and  endeavor  to  find  out  what  was  His  object  in 
them.  There  were  ten  post-resurrection,  and  three 
post-ascension  appearances.  Five  were  given  the  day  of 
His  resurrection.  One  of  these  was  to  Mary  Magdalene, 
at  the  sepulchre,  about  8 or  9 A.M. ; one  to  one  group 
of  the  women,  shortly  after,  on  their  way  to  the  city; 
one  to  Olophas  and  his  companion,  on  the  way  to,  and 
at,  Emmaus,  in  the  afternoon  and  evening;  one  to  Peter, 
in  Jerusalem,  about,  or  just  after  sunset;  and  one  to  the 
Eleven  (Thomas  absent)  and  others,  in  Jerusalem,  and 
after  dark.  One  week  later  one  was  given  in  Jerusalem? 
to  the  apostles,  Thomas  being  present.  The  next  two 
were  in  Galilee.  One  of  them  was  to  sev'en  disciples 
at  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  and  the  other  was  to  the  Eleven, 
and  above  five  hundred  others,  on  a mountain.  The 
next  one  was  to  James,  His  brother,  time  and  place  un- 
known— perhaps  in  Jerusalem,  perhaps  in  his  Oalilsean 
home.  And  the  last  one  was  in  Jerusalem  and  on  Ol- 
ivet, on  the  day  of  His  ascension.  Three  of  these  were 
to  individuals,  Mary  Magdalene,  Peter  and  James. 
One  was  to  two  persons  (the  Emmaus  one),  one  was 
to  seven  (the  sea  of  Tiberias  one),  and  tlie  other  three 


134 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


were  to  many,  one  being  to  over  five  hundred  people. 
The  first  appearance  was  on  April  9,  the  last  on  May  18  th. 
Some  were  in  houses,  some  in  the  open  air,  and  all  of 
them  long  enough  in  time,  and  varied  enough  in  inci- 
dents, to  allow  those  who  saw  them  to  decide  intelligently 
as  to  them  beins:  realities. 

One  purpose  of  the  five  granted  on  the  first  Lord’s 
day  was  to  convince  His  followers  of  the  reality  and  com- 
pleteness of  His  resurrection.  And  the  object  in  them  all 
was,  not  merely  the  proving  of  the  fact  that  He  actually 
had  arisen,  but  also  the  establishment  in  their  minds  of 
the  identity  of  His  Person  as  risen,  with  His  Person  as 
crucified.  Thus  would  He  revive  and  confirm  their 
faith  in  Him  as  the  Christ — the  foundation  oi  which  had 
been  laid  during  His  life,  but  had  been  greatly  shaken 
by  His  death.  And  the  reason  why  He  would  establish 
this  is  most  important.  His  resurrection  was  salvation, 
first  to  Himself  (Is.  xlix,  8;  2 Cor.  vi,  2),  and  next,  to 
us.  As  He  expiated  sin  for  us  in  dying,  so  He  becomes 
life  for  us  in  rising  again  (Acts  xiii,  38,  39).  His  ap- 
pearances were  to  them,  and,  aS  established,  to  us,  im- 
movable assurances  of  both  facts.  We  live  in  Him. 

Besides  the  general  purposes,  each  appearance  had  a 
special  one.  In  the  first  one  Jesus  comforted  the  one, 
Mary,  who  so  ardently  sought  His  lost  body.  In  the  sec- 
ond He,  through  the  women,  made  an  appointment  to 
meet  His  brethren  in  Galilee,  as  through  Mary.  He 
sent  a message  to  them  concerning  His  ascension. 
In  the  third  He  re-animated  the  dying  hopes  of  the  two 
disciples,  and  in  the  fourth  one  He  raised  up  the  penitent 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


135 


Peter,  with  assurances  of  forgiveness.  In  the  next  two, 
after  having  satisfied  His  disciples  of  His  identity,  He 
explained  to  them,  from  the  Scriptures,  the  necessity  of 
His  death  and  resurrection,  opened  their  understanding 
to  understand  them,  imparted  to  them  The  Spirit,  and 
gave  to  them  His  commission.  In  the  next  one  He  res- 
stored  Peter  to  the  apostleship,and  in  the  next  blessed  His 
brother  James  with  conversion  (John  viii,  5),  and  with 
a call  to  the  apostleship.  And  in  the  last  one  He  gave 
His  final  instructions,  and  impressed  upon  His  followers 
that  powerful  missionary  spirit  which  lasts  to  this  day. 
Each  of  His  three  post-ascension  appearances  had  also  a 
special  object.  The  one  to  Stephen,  near  Jerusalem, 
and  shortly  after  Pentecost,  was  for  his  personal  com- 
fort, and  for  a testimony  to  the  Jews.  The  one  to  Saul 
of  Tarsus,  near  Damascus,  some  months  later,  was  for 
his  conversion,  and  for  his  call  and  introduction  into 
the  apostleship  among  the  Gentiles.  And  as  in  the  last 
post-resurrection  ones  He  gave  His  instructions  con- 
cerning the  planting  of  the  church,  and  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  fora  witness  among  all  nations  during 
this  dispensation,  so,  in  His  last  post-ascension  ones 
granted  to  John  in  Patmos,  sixty  years  after  Ascension, 
He  showed  through  him,  to  the  church,  her  uneven 
and  sorrowful  history  during  this  dispensation,  and  her 
triumphs  when  He  comes.  Here  is  a wisely  graduated 
progression.  These  appearances, when  studied  in  their  de- 
velopment, as  seen  in  the  continuous  narrative,  show 
unity  and  completeness  of  plan.  And  this  plan  is  pro- 
foundly psychological,  and  holily  organic.  And  all  this 


136  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

shows  that  the  appearances  could  not  possibly  have  had 
a subjective  origin  in  any  apostle,  nor  in  one  or  all  of 
the  writers.  Each  and  all  could  only  have  originated  in 
one  mind,  and  that  the  mind  of  Jesus  Himself.  The 
appearances  must,  all  of  them,  have  been  objective. 
And  the  plan  shows  that  the  object  of  them  was  im- 
measurably  more  than  merely  to  work  in  the  minds  of 
the  disciples  the  conviction  that  He  (Jesus)  had  arisen 
from  the  dead. 

We  return  to  the  narrative.  One  great  object  of 
Jesus’  coming  was  the  settlement  of  the  question  as  to 
the  lawful  sovereignty  over  the  earth,  This,  to  be 
complete,  must  be  over  all  the  forms  and  forces  of 
matter,  as  well  as  over  those  of  sin,  and  over  the  in- 
tellect and  affections  of  man.  There  must  also  be  the  law- 
ful victory  over  the  usurper,  and  his  consequent  expulsion 
with  that  of  sin  and  sorrow,  from  the  earth.  This  could 
be  accomplished  only  by  One  who  had  all  of  nature’s 
forces  under  his  control.  If  Jesus  be  the  Champion, 
He  must  be  all  victorious.  And  He  was.  By  His 
faith  He  had  overcome  the  world.  By  The  Spirit’s  power 
and  sword  word  of  God”)  He  had  overcome  the 

devil.  By  His  holy  life  and  expiating  death  He  had  over- 
come the  flesh  which  had  corrupted  us  through  sin,  the 
law  (by  satisfying  its  demands)  which  had  condemned 
us  because  of  sin,  and  death  which  overtakes  us  because 
of  the  condemnation  of  the  law.  By  these  victories.  He, 
as  a member  of  humanity ,had  restored  it  to  its  true  place. 
His  resurrection  was  a proof  of  this  restoration.  But 
resurrection  is  only  a partial  victory  o\er  the  physical 


THE  HOLY  KESUERECTION, 


137 


world.  By  moral  victories  Jesus  had  wholly  overcome 
the  world  in  its  ethical  aspects.  By  the  same  victories  He 
had  overcome  it  in  its  physical  aspects,  so  far  as  these 
related  to  its  solid  parts:  partially,  during  life,  by  such 
victories  as  the  turning  of  water  into  wine,  by  the  feed- 
ing of  thousands  by  a few  loaves  and  fishes,  and  by 
walking  upon  the  water;  and  wholly  by  His  resurrection. 
To  complete  these  victories.  He  must  overcome  the  world 
in  its  aerial  aspects.  That  is,  He  must  ascend.  Here,  the 
‘‘must,”  which  appears  so  constantly  in  His  life,  comes 
into  full  force.  Ascension  is  a necessity  to,  as  well  as  a 
crown  of,  victory.  How  otherwise  could  He  show  that  all 
the  forces  of  nature  are  under  His  absolute  control?  Or, 
that  in  Him  humanity  realizes  its  destination,  which, 
from  the  beginning,  was  to  serve  as  a free  instrument 
for  the  operations  of  the  infinite  Creator,  God : ‘‘Thou 
didst  set  him  over  the  works  of  Thy  hands;  Thou  hast 
put  all  things  under  his  feet.” 

On  another  ground,  also.  Ascension  “must”  be,  and 
hence  was,  a reality.  As  far  back  as  April,  A.D,27,  Jesus 
had  plainly  intimated  to  NicodemusHis  own  Ascension  as 
the  Son  of  Man  to  the  local  Heaven.  And  He  gave  as  the 
ground  of,  and  reason  for,  this  fact,  viz:  that  He  had  des- 
cended therefrom  (John  iii,  13).  His  words,“came  down 
from  heaven,”  plainly  declare  His  consciousness  of  having 
Himself  lived  in  Heaven  as  His  true  native  place. 
And  to  that  Heaven  must  He  personally  return.  Sub- 
sequently, in  A.D.  29,  He  lepeated  the  same  fact  to  a 
crowd:  “What!  and  if  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  as- 
cending where  He  was  before.”  (John  vi  62.)  This 


138 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


ascension  must  be  the  opposite  of  ‘^coming  down.”  Hence 
it  could  not  be  His  death.  This  fact  He  expressed  by 
hu]psoothena%  lifted  but  never  by  anabainein^asGend* 
He  again  said,  after  His  resurrection,  am  not  yet 
ascended,  but  I ascend”  (J ohn  xx.  17).  And  after  the 
historical  fact  (of  ascension),  this  same  verb  was  used 
by  the  apostles  to  express  that  fact.  (Eph.  iv,  8-10; 
Acts  ii,  31.) 

This  Ascension  was,further,a  necessary  factor  in  Jesus’ 
personal  development.  When  He  came  diOwny‘dimuton  eh^ 
enoose^  He  emptied  Himself  morphee  Theou^  of  the  form 
of  God^  and  took  upon  Himself  the  form  of  a servant.” 
Both  acts  were  conditions  necessary  to  His  human  ex- 
istence, in  order  to  His  work  upon  earth.  But  that 
work  being  finished,  He  must,  of  necessity,  resume  ‘^the 
form  of  God,”  of  which  He  had  emptied  Himself.  This 
was  in  His  view  when  He  said  in  His  High-priestly  pray- 
er, ‘‘Now,  O Father,  glorify  Thou  Me  with  the  glory 
which  I had  with  Thee  before  the  world  was.”  The  an- 
swer to  this  prayer  necessitated  Ascension;  and  it  was 
for  Him  a postulate  of  faith.  By  it  His  Person,  as  the 
Son  of  Man,  was  elevated  to  the  Divine  state  which  He 
had  possessed  as  Son  of  God.  By  it,  and  in  His  Person, 
was  God’s  design  in  respect  to  humanity  (and  to  the 
Universe)  perfected.  Through  Him,  the  ascended  Man, 
is  preached  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  In  Him  all  be- 
lievers are  one.  In  Him  are  they  raised  up,  and  made 
to  sit  in  heavenly  places.  Through  Him  came  Pente- 
cost, whereby  His  baptism  becomes  partaken  of  by  be- 
lieyprs,  an4  tl^^y  become,  in  moral  being,  like  Him. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


139 


And  this  must  be  followed  by  Parousia^  whereby  their 
bodily  condition  must  become  like  His,  and  His  ascen- 
sion become  theirs. 

Further,  the  living  waters  must  flow  ^‘from  the  throne 
of  God  and  the  Lamb.’’  Heaven,  not  earth,  must  be  the 
point  of  departure  of  The  Spirit.  He  must  come,  as 
The  Spirit  of  Jesus,  consummated  as  The  Christ,  by  the 
complete  gloriflcation  of  His  nature;  as  The  Spirit  ot 
The  Son,  formally  restored  to  the  glory  which  He  had 
with  The  Father  before  the  world  was;  as  the  bestow- 
nient — -for  this  was  the  prerogative  of  royalty — as  The 
Spirit  of  The  Father,  sent  from  Him  by  the  Son.  Only 
when  the  Son  was  re-instated  in  the  plenitude  of  the  Di- 
vine condition,  and  glorifled  in  Heaven,  could  The  Spirit 
come  down  officially,  and  glorify  Him  on  earth.  And  thus 
only  could  He  (Jesus)  live  in  the  heart  of  believers,  and 
act  through  them  on  the  world.  Ascension,  hence,  was 
a necessity  to  the  perpetuation  of  His  cause  in  the  world. 

Up  to  the  last  moment  Jesus  faith  and  disposition 
were,  without  intermission  and  without  wavering,  turned 
to  the  eternal  light  of  God.  Thus  He,  through  The 
Spirit,  purifled  His  Body  into  heavenly  light.  Thus 
was  it  thoroughly  prepared  for  full  gloriflcation.  And 
what  remained  but  that  it  should  be  glorifled  in  Heaven? 

This  was  the  third  feature  of  His  gloriflcation.  The 
hour  for  this  consummation  had  come — Thursday,  May 
18th,  A.D.  30.  And  the  Narratives  tell  us  how  it  was 
accomplished.  Of  their  genuineness  there  has  never  been 
any  doubt.  Nor  ought  there  to  be  any  of  the  fact  they 


140 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


tell.  It  was  publicly  announced  immediately  afterwards  in 
Jerusalem  (Acts  ii,  33,  34).  It  was  constantly  taught  by 
the  Apostles,  and  firmly  held  by  the  early  church  as  an 
article  of  faith  (Eom.  viii.  34;  x,  6;  Eph.  i,  19,  20;  ii,  6, 
.6;  iv,  8, 10;  Col.  iii,  1;  1 Tim.iii,  16;  1 Pet.  iii,  22.)  And 
in  the  Hebrews  more  weight  is  attached  to  Jesus’  as- 
cension than  to  His  resurrection.  Jesus  had  finished 
all  His  instructions.  He  had — as  the  participle,  suna^ 
lizomenoSy  having  assembled^  clearly  shows — brought 
them  specially  together  in  order  to  take  leave  of  them. 
The  final  meeting  was  in  some  house  in  Jerusalem. 
There  He  began  His  talk,  during  which — as  the  com- 
parison of  the  tw^o  Narratives  suggests — He  led  them 
out  of  the  house  and  city,  eoos  {^pros.  Alex,)  eis  Beth- 
anian^  in  the  direction  of^  near  to^  in  the  neighborhood, 
perhaps  sight,  of  Bethany which  lay  at  the  foot,  or  on 
the  slope,  of  Olivet,  a mile  from  its  summit,  and  on  the 
farther  side  from  Jerusalem.  This  slope  was  the  scene 
of  His  deepest  humiliation  and  sorrow;  and  its  brow, 
of  His  sublimest  elevation.  And  on  that  mountain 
His  feet  shall  stand  when  He  comes  again  ^ (Ez.  xi, 
23;  Zech.  xiv,  4.)  On  the  projected  spur  of  the  Mount, 
which  overhangs  Bethany,  and  in  a recess  furnished  by 
the  hills,  is  a spot  which  best  meets  all  the  conditions 
of  the  narratives.  Stanley  remarks:  ^^On  the  wild  up- 
lands, which  immediately  overhang  the  village.  He  with- 
drew from  the  eyes  of  His  disciples,  in  a seclusion 
which  could  nowhere  else  be  found  so  near  the  stir  of  a 

[*Mount  Olivet  lies  between  Jerusalem  (from  which  it  is  separ- 
ated by  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat),  and  Bethany  (from  which  it  is 
separated  by  a little  ridge  of  hills.)] 


MOUNT  OF  OLIVES. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


141 


mighty  city — a long  ridge  of  Olivet  screening  those  hills 
and  those  hills  the  village  beneath  them,  from  all  sight 
or  sound  of  the  city  behind,  the  view  opening  only  on  the 
wide  waste  of  desert  rocks  and  ever-descending  valleys, 
into  the  depths  of  the  distant  Jordan  and  its  mysterious 
lake.  At  this  point  the  last  interview  took  place.  ^He  led 
them  out  as  far  as  Bethany,’  and  ‘they  returned’  probably 
by  the  direct  road  over  the  summit  of  Mount  Olivet.”* 

In  all  former  post-resurrection  disappearances  Jesus 
vanished  suddenly  from  sight.  How?  and  whither?  no 
one  knew.  He  had  said,  “I  go  to  the  Father.”  The 
coming  of  the  promised  Spirit  will  be  proof  of  this  fact. 
“For  if  I go,  I will  send  Him  to  you.”  How,  about  to 
leave  the  scene  of  His  labors  and  sorrows,  He  will  depart 
from  them  visibly,  so  that  they,  by  the  testimony  of 
their  senses,  can  declare  that  He,  in  His  humanity,  had 
ascended  to  Heaven ; and  that  they,  after  the  coming  of 
The  Spirit,  could  say,  “He  lives!  He  lives  with  the  Fa- 
ther! He  lives  for  us!” 

He  led  them  to  the  brow  of  Olivet.  Jerusalem, 
Y^here  He  had  been  rejected  and  slain,  where  His  gos^ 
pel  would  be  first  preached,  and  the  foundation  of  His 
church  be  laid,  lay  in  full  view  before  Him.  He  was, 
while  walking,  speaking  to  them  as  a Prophet  and  King, 
who  would  establish  a Heavenly  kingdom  on  earth. 
They  now  see  that  while  saying,  “Ye  shall  be  witnesses 
unto  Me  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth,”He — as  the 
typical  practice  ever  had  been — lifted  up  His  hands  over 
them.  It  was  the  blessing  of  the  departing  yet  remain- 


\^8inai  and  Palestine^  pages  189,  190.] 


142 


THE  HOI.Y  RESURRECTION. 


ing — ^‘with  you  always’’ — Lord,  as  High  Priest.  The 
Aaronic  high  priest  thus  blessed  the  people  as  he  came 
forth  from  the  Temple  (Lev.  ix,  22). And  se  Jesus,  who 
came  forth  visibly  from  the  invisible  world  for  the  last 
time  till  He  comes  again,  and  is  just  about  to  return  to 
Heaven,  there  to  act  as  our  High  Priest,  blessed  His  dis- 
ciples. Thus  the  marks  of  His  atoning  sacrifice  were 
beginning  already  to  be  glorified  in  His  hands.  This  act 
was,  further,  the  sealing  to  them  of  the  results  of  His 
Resurrection;  a sign  and  pledge  also  of  the  bestowments 
of  “the  Power  from  on  high,”  which  His  hands  would 
soon  be,  and  never  cease,  giving;  and  a sample  of  His 
actings  as  “Priest  upon  the  throne”  during  “the  times 
and  seasons”  until  He  comes  as  King  to  reign.  Kai 
en  to  eiilogein^  and  while  in  the  act  of  blessing  them, 
kai  tauta  eijpoon^  and  while  saying  these  things — i,e.^ 
the  final  words  closing  with  “the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth”  (Acts  i,  4-8) — and  while  blepontoon  autoon^  they 
were  intently  gazing  with  a clear,  continuous  gaze  un- 
til He  was  hidden  in  tlie  cloud  (reminding  us  of  His 
theooreete^  &c.,  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  ascending? 
&c.,  John  vi,  62),  diestee  (second  aorist  intransitive)  af 
autoon^  He  drew  hack^  and  separated  Himself  from 
them^  and  epeerthee  (first  aorist  indicative,  passive),  was 
lifted  up  (the  oeginning  of  Ascension),  Tcai  aneleepes- 
thee^  was  horne^  or  carried  up  (nature’s  law  of  gravit- 
ation being  obedient  to  His  will),  gradually  ascending, 
and,  while  going  up,  blessing  His  disciples,  Tcai  nephelee 
hupelahen  auton^  and  a cloudy  passing  beneath,  received 
Him^  and  hid  Him  from  their  eyes — and  this  was  the 


THE  ASCENT  INTO  HEAVEN. 


THE  ASCENSION. 


THE  HOLY  KESURRECTIOK. 


143 


end  of  the  ascent  as  visible  to  them.  Kai  anejpJier^io 
eis  ton  ouranon^  was  home  or  carried  up  (the  verb  an- 
ephereto^  implies  some  kind  of  a conveyance),  into  hea- 
ven. This  was  His  assumption  (1  Tim.  iii,  15).  The 
cloudy  pillar  was  the  heavenly  chariot  which,  in  the 
Theophanies  of  the  Old  Testament,  carried  Him,  as  the 
Angel  of  His  (God’s)  Presence,  before  the  people.  Here 
it  was  the  cloud.  And  the  use  of  the  verb  in  Acts  with- 
out the  accompanying  words,  eis  ton  ouranon^  of  laike, 
shows  that  already,  when  The  Acts  was  written,  the  As- 
cension was  a recognized  fact  in  the  consciousness  of  the 
primitive  church.  The  verb,  epeerthe^  lifted  up^  des- 
cribes, locally,  the  experience  of  Jesus  in  the  ascending, 
and  spiritually,  the  act  of  the  Father  in  raising  Him  to 
a higher  position,  and  to  greater  power.  The  whole 
description  shows  that  His  departure  was  not 
the  troubled  passing  of  a mortal  from  earth,  need- 
ing prayer  and  support,  but  the  magnificent  move- 
ment of  a Conqueror,  who,  having  overcome  all  foes, 
goes  away,  leaving  behind  Him  the  blessing  of  His 
glorified  Being.  And  the  physical  features  in  which 
His  Ascension  is  portrayed,  form  a picture  which 
has  been  celebrated  in  Christian  song;  and  also  in 
Christian  art,  by  Eaphael,  Titian  and  Paul  Yeronese. 
And  the  present  ^2iX\!\QhfiQporeuomenon.^  going  (Acts 
i,  11),  expresses  His  motion  from  one  place  to  another, 
and  His  own  voluntary  action  therein.  Upward  was 
He  borne  until  He  disappeared  in  a cloud.  Onward, 

[*This  clause  is  wanting  in  Sin.,  and  in  some  other  Mss. ; but 
most  critical  editors  retain  it.  The  weight  of  Mss.  authority  is 
vastly  in  its  favor.] 


1!4 


THE  HOLY  KESUKRECTION. 


dleleeluthota  (par.  per.  mid.)  tons  ouranous^  passing^ 
jJimself,  through — not  ^‘into”  as  our  Version  has  it — the 
heavens  (Heb.  iv,  14),  He  ascended  huperanoo  jpantoon 
toon  ouranoon^  ‘‘far  above  all  heavens^^  (Eph.  iv,  10), 
into  the  “Heavens  of  heavens”  (Deut.x,14;  1 Kings  viii, 
27;  Ps.  Ixviii,  33;  cxlviii,  4),  to  the  right  hand  of  God 
— the  place  of  majesty,  where  the  self -revelations  of 
God  take  place,  whence  the  manifestations  of  Divine 
power  proceed,  and  where,  shortly  afterwards.  He  was 
seen  by  Stephen,  as  he,  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  looked 
up  into  the  opened  heavens. 

Such  was  the  sublimely  fitting  close  of  His  life  on 
earth.  Such  He  knew  it  would  be.  The  consciousness  of 
His  Divine  Sonship,  Messiahship,  mission,  and  of  most 
certain  victory  had  given  its  peculiar  current  to  His 
thought,  and  explains  the  peculiarity  of  His  intercourse 
with  men.  Lifted  up  into  the  sunshine  of  His  antici- 
pated resurrection  and  ascension.  He  could,  as  He 
moved  in  the  midst  of  men  bowed  down  by  sorrow,  or 
crushed  by  the  terror  of  death,  lift  them  up.  With 
most  exquisite  human  feeling  He  could  sympathize  with 
men.  Yea,  more.  Since  His  own  soul  was  in  the  sun- 
shine of  those  deathless  regions  which  lay  for  beyond 
the  tomb  in  the  garden,  He  could,  with  the  power  of  His 
anticipated  triumph,  cheer  and  sustain  them.  Before 
the  brightness  of  that  sunshine  the  prospects  and  prom- 
ises of  earth  had  disappeared,  its  sorrows,  privations 
and  sufierings  had  been  patiently  borne,  its  proper  en- 
joyments had  been  sweetened  and  sanctified,  and  His 
soul,  when  the  dark,  heavy  clouds  of  death  were  gath- 


THE  HOLY  RESHRKECTION. 


146 


ered  over  Calvary,  was  in  perfect  peace.  Man  cannot  ful- 
ly describe  what  He  endured  during  life,  and  especially 
during  the  hours  preceding  death.  But  many  may 
know  something  of  the  sunshine  of  resurrection  which 
illumined  His  soul.  By  the  introduction  of  sin  the  Di- 
vine harmony  had  been  disturbed:  man  had  lost  his  place 
of  blessing,  and  God  had  been  denied  His  glory.  But 
the  Son  of  Man  in  His  dying,  put  things  into  their 
proper  places.  Sin  was  expiated.  Death  was  dethroned. 
Man’s  blessing  was  secured,  and  God’s  glory  was  estab- 
lished. Having  scattered  in  the  realms  of  death  the 
seeds  of  resurrection-life  which  will,  at  His  second  com- 
ing,  spring  forth  in  resurrection  bodies,  He  came  forth  la- 
dened  with  all  the  fruits  of  victory.  These  effected  vast 
and  most  beneficent  changes  in  the  history  of  man,  and 
in  the  destiny  of  earth.  These  opened  the  way  for  the 
pouring  of  resurrection-life  into  the  race,  and  the  lift- 
ing of  it  up.  These  ushered  in  the  morning  of  the  new 
creation,  and  prepared  the  way  for  the  kingdom  of  God- 
As  the  Anointed  Man  He  had  walked  throuorh  the  va- 
rious  paths  of  life,  and  had  presented  therein  the  first 
untainted  human  fruits  to  God.  As  the  Kisen  Man  He 
had  showed  Himself  alive,  and  with  hands  extended  in 
blessing,  had  ascended  to  Heaven.  He  thus  became  the 
exalted  Man.  As  such  He  sits  on  the  right  hand  of 
God  symbol  this,  of  His  omniscience,  omnij^resence 
and  omnipotence.  In  Him  dwells  all  the  fulness  of  the 
God-head  bodily  (Col.  ii,  9).  Proof,  this,  of  His  right 
to,  and  future  investiture  with  royal  dominion  over 
all  the  earth  (Ps.  cx,  1;  Dan.  vii,  13,  14;  Phil,  ii,  10). 


146  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

On  that  throne  He  sits,  carrying  on  His  work  of  bless- 
ing. There  will  He  sit,  until  all  who  are  of  His  risen 
flesh  shall  have  been  brought  in  to  form  the  “one  new 
man/’  and  have  come  to  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the 
fulness  of  Himself  (Eph.  v,  30),  until  He  comes  in  the 
clouds  of  heaven — as  assuredly  He  will — to  occupy  His 
own  throne,  and  His  toes  be  made  His  footstool.  Rest, 
honored  Jesus,  in  Thy  triumph!  We  adore  Thee!  We 
rejoice.  If  we  follow  Thee  where  Thou  wast,  we  forget 
not  where  Thou  art.  Born  in  a stable.  Thou  liv'est  in  the 
stateliest  of  palaces.  Cradled  in  a manger.  Thou  occu- 
piest  the  chair  of  kingliest  state.  A Sufferer  from 
penury, and  possessed  of  no  place  to  lay  Thy  head,Thou  art 
now  Heir  of  all  things.  Endurer  of  contradiction  against 
Thyself,  Thou  art  now  adored  and  worshipped  by  the 
hosts  of  heaven,  and  by  the  truly  noble  and  holy  of  earth. 
Once  Thou  wast  without  form  or  comliness  in  the  eyes 
of  men,  who  saw  in  Thee  no  beauty  to  make  Thee  an 
object  of  desire.  How,  the  brightness  of  the  beams  which 
irradiate  from  thy  glorious  countenance  Alls  all  heaven 
with  light,  and  makes  the  inhabitants  thereof,  and  all 
those  who  are  going  thither,  to  shout  aloud  for  joy. 

This  gladness  is  most  disinterested.  This  ecstacy  of 
delight  which  fills  our  souls  as  we  see  Thee  ascending, 
begins  and  ends  with  Thee.  It  is  Thy  triumph  as 
that  is  related  to  Thyself  that  makes  us  clap  our  hands 
with  joy,  and  bids  us  to  summon  all  nature  to  share  in 
our  gladness,  and  join  in  our  adoration,  our  homages, 
and  our  praise  of  Thee. 

And  we  also  find  our  souls  pouring  forth  praise  and 


THE  HOLY  RESHREEOTION. 


147 


gratitude  to  Thee,  Thou  triumphant  Christ,  for  all  that 
Thou  in  Thy  life,  death,  resurrection  and  ascension  hast 
done  for  us.  Thou  hast  settled  the  question  of  a life 
triumphant  over  death,  and  thus  hast  most  thoroughly 
satisfied  man’s  original  instinct  and  longing  after  immor- 
tality. The  resurrection  and  exaltation  of  the  whole 
man,  body  and  soul,  are  assured.  Thou  hast  settled 
forever  the  whole  question  of  sin  in  all  its  aspects  and 
issues.  Put  to  death  because  our  offenses  were  upon 
Thee,  and  ^^tasting  death  for  every  man,”  Thou  hast  re- 
moved every  hindrance  out  of  the  way,  and  Last  become 
the  Author  of  eternal  salvation  unto  all  them  who  be- 
lieve and  obey  Thee.  Thou  hast  forced  open  (not  by 
violence,  but  in  the  way  of  righteousness,)  the  gates  of 
the  grave,  and  death  at  Thy  bidding  must  give  up  its 
prey.  Thou  hast  opened  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  for 
all  believers.  And  now  all  who  approach  thereto  by 
the  way  of  Thy  cross  find  a welcome  entrance.  And 
as  we  meditate  upon  these,  and  all  the  blessings,  bene- 
fits and  privileges  that  come  to  us  from  and  through 
Thee,  Thou  ascending  Lord,  our  souls  cannot  repress 
their  exultation.  We  are  happy  as  we  see  Thee  ascend- 
ing. Sharers  of  Thy  triumph,  we  follow  Thee  now  by 
faith,  and  will,  in  our  resurrection^ bodies  be  caught  up 
to  meet  Thee  in  the  air  by  and  by. 

The  cloud  which  had  received,  and  was  ascending  with. 
Him,  had  disappeared  in  the  upper  distance.  And  as 
the  disciples,  forgetful  of  all  else  atenizontes  eesari^  were 
gazing  intently — into  {eis^  the  [ton)  heaven,  upon  jpor- 


148 


THE  HOLY  EESURREOT  ION. 


euomenou  autou^  Him  going ^ lo,  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly, two  men  in  shining  garments  jpareisteeTteisan^ 
were  present  to  them.  Were  they  Moses  and  Elias?  or, 
were  they  two  future  witnesses?  (Rer.  xi,  3),  or  the  two 
that  stood  by  the  women  at  the  tomb?  (Luke  xxiv,  4). 
Or  were  they  two  of  those  who  had  come  out  of  the 
tombs  on  the  morning  of  Jesus’  resurrection?  (Matt, 
xxvii,  53.)  They  addressed  the  disciples  asGalilaeans? 
Was  it  because  they  themselves  had  been  Galilseans. 
Or  were  they  angels  in  the  form  or  appearance  of  men? 
We  cannot  tell.  We  only  know  that  they  had  come 
from  heaven  to  tell  men  on  earth  of  the  fruitlessness  of 
looking  after  Jesus.  He  had  gone  up  into  Heaven,  no 
more  to  return  until  the  times  and  seasons  had  been 
filled  up.  Until  then  He  would  be  seen  on  earth  no 
more.  But  then  He  would  come  again;  come  in  like 
manner  as  they  had  seen  Him  go  away,  that  is,  in  His 
glorified  humanity,  visibly,  in  glory,  and  with  His  hands 
stretched  out  in  blessing;  come  to  stand,  as  He  had  just 
then  stood,  on  Mount  Olivet  (Zech.  xiv,  2). 

This  was  their  message.  Soon  as  it  was  delivered 
they  disappeared  from  view.  The  heavens  were  silent 
and  serene.  The  circling  worlds  moved  on  in  their 
stately  orbits,  but  to  their  utmost  bounds  they  felt  the 
undulations  of  this  magnificent  movement — a most  fit- 
ting crowning  of  a career  so  beauteous  and  beneficent, 
and  whose  tragic  close  had  saved  a race  and  a world. 

Jesus  had  gradually  raised  the  minds  of  His  follow- 
ers to  a new  conception  of  the  unspeakable  greatness  of 
His  work,  and  the  infinite  excellence  of  His  Person. 


THE  HOLY  RESTTRRECTION. 


149 


Just  now  had  they  witnessed  a sight  of  the  most  exalted 
character.  The  rising  slowly,  majestically,  and  with- 
out visible  agency,  and  the  vanishing  into  the  depths  of 
heaven  which  they  witnessed,  convinced  them  that  the 
Conqueror  of  Satan  and  death  was  the  Master  of  nature’s 
laws,  which  reverently  obeyed  His  will.  They  saw  that 
the  body  filled  completely  by  The  Spirit  was  capable 
of  partaking  of  exalted  power  and  of  the  highest  life. 
They  knew  from  the  Heavenly  visitants  that  the  gates 
of  glory  had  opened  to  let  their  Master  in,  and  that  the 
promises  would  be  fulfilled  in  their  enduement  with 
power.  This  thrilled,  this  filled  their  hearts  with  ecs- 
tatic joy.  They  could  contain  no  more.  Another  as- 
surance that  He  should  come  again,  pledge  this  of  the 
victory  of  His  cause,  was  a blessedness  greater  than 
their  hearts  could  contain.  John  xiv,  28,  and  xvii,  11, 
had  passed  into  an  abiding  history  for  the  church.  As 
did  the  women  on  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  as 
did  the  five  hundred  on  a mountain  in  Galilee,  so  did 
this  company.  They  worshipped  Him.  They  gave 
Him  while  ascending,  and  when  exalted  at  the  Father’s 
right  hand  the  same  solemn  adoration  that  they  gave 
to  God.  They  could  not  be  mourners.  For  their  Mas- 
ter would  no  more  be  exposed  to  the  outrages  and 
wrongs  of  men.  His  death  had  been  crowned  with  the 
most  exalted  triumph.  The  sheaf  of  the  first  fruits  had 
been  presented,  and  was  being  waved  before  the  Lord. 
They  could  not  be  petitioners.  Prayer  would  be  proper 
by  and  by.  But  this  was  the  feast  of  resurrection,  and 
praise  was  its  only  expression  in  worship.  They  were 


160 


THE  HOLY  RESURREOTIOH. 


filled,  the  returned  to  Jerusalem  with,  great  joy.  And 
there,  with  one  accord,  with  most  intimate  union  inward 
and  outward,  publicly  and  undisturbedly,  in  the  Temple 
—proof,  this,  that  the  Sanhedrim  did  not  believe  their 
own  report  about  the  Body — were  continually  airountes 
Theon^  praising  God^  i.e.  His  Person,  kai  enlogountes 
Theon,  and  blessing  God  i.e,^  thanking  Him  for  His 
benefits.  So  the  Shepherds  glorified  and  praised  God 
at  J esus’  birth.  But  how  vast  was  the  distance  traversed 
between  the  two  acts  of  homage  and  praise!  The  next 
ten  days  were  passed  quietly,  and  in  united  hearty 
prayer.  This  show  that  they  were  no  enthusiasts,  and 
yet  that  they,  with  an  assured  confidence,  expected  the 
fulfillment  of  the  promise.  Pentecost  came,  and  with 
it  the  Comforter.  They  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  ‘‘went  forth  and  preached  everywhere,  the 
Lord  working  with  them,  and  confirming  the  word  with 
signs  following.  Amen. 

Jesus’  Post- Ascension  Appearances. 

HIS  yiRST  ONE, 

Place:  Jerusalem.  Time:  Soon  after  His  ascension.  Person  to 
whom : Stephen,  the  able  deacon,  and  first  martyr  of  the  new-born 
church. 

Acts  vii,  55,  56. 

But  He  {Stephen)  being  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
looked  up  steadfastly  into  heaven,  and  saw  the  glory  of 
God,  and  Jesus  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God. 
And  he  said.  Behold,  I see  the  heavens  opened,  and  the 
Son  of  Man  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God. 

This  appearance  to  Stephen  was  for  his  consolation. 
Some  time  later  J esus  gave  His 


THE  HOLT  KESUEEECTION. 


161 


Second  Post- ascension  Appearance. 

The  place:  Suburbs  of  Damascus.  The  time:  about  one  year 
after  the  Ascension.  Person : Saul  of  Tarsus. 

This  appearance  to  Saul  was  for  his  conversion.  The  narratives 
of  this  event  are  found  in 

Acts  ix,  1-6;  xxii,  4-21;  xxvi,  9-18;  1 Cor.  xv,  8. 

Luke’s  historical  statement  is  as  follows: 

And  Saul  yet  breathing  out  threatenings  ami  slaughter 
against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord,  went  into  the  high 
priest,  and  desired  of  him  letters  to  Damascus,  that  if 
he  found  (should  find)  any  (who  were,  ontas)  of  this 
way,  whether  they  were  men  or  women,  he  might  bring 
them  bound  into  Jerusalem.  And  as  he  journeyed,  he 
came  near  Damascus:  and  suddenly  there  shined  round 
him  a light  from  heaven;  and  he  iell  to  the  earth  and 
heard  a voice  saying  unto  him,  Saul,  Saul,  why  perse- 
cutest  thou  Me? 

And  he  said,  Who  art  Thou,  Lord  ? 

And  He*  said,  I am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest.^* 
Arise  and  go  into  the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told  thee 
what  thou  must  do. 

Paul’s  own  personal  statements  about  this  appearance 
are  as  follows: 

And  last  of  all  he  was  seen  of  me,  as  of  one  born  out 
of  due  time.  1 verily  thought  with  myself  that  I ought 
to  do  many  things  contrary  to  the  name  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  Which  things  I also  did  in  Jerusalem:  and 
many  of  the  saints  did  1 shut  up  in  prison,  having  re- 

\^Ho  Kurios^  the  Lord^  of  T.  R.  is  wanting  in  all  the  best  Mss., 
and  is  omitted  by  all  the  best  critics.] 

t**The  words,  ‘Tt  is  hard  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the  pricks. 
And  he  trembling  and  astonished  said,  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have 
me  to  do?  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,”  are  not  found  in  a single 
Greek  manuscript  in  Actsix;  are  omitted  by  all  critical  scholars, 
and  are  thrown  out  in  the  R.  V.] 


162 


THE  HOLY  EESUERECTION. 


ceived  authority  from  the  chief  priests;  and  when  they 
were  put  to  dfeath,  I gave  my  voice  against  them.  And 
1 persecuted  this  way  into  death,  binding  and  delivering 
into  prisons  both  men  and  women.  And^  I punished 
them  oit  in  every  synagogue,  and  compelled  them  to 
blaspheme;  and  being  ex(5eedingly  mad  against  them,  I 
persecuted  them  even  unto  strange  cities.  Whereupon 
with  authority  and  commission  from  the  chief  priests, 
and  from  all  the  estate  of  the  elders,  from  whom  also  1 
received  letters  unto  the  brethren,  I went  unto  Damascus, 
to  bring  them  bound  unto  Jerusalem,  for  to  be  punished. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  I made  my  journey,  and 
was  come  nigh  unto  Damascus,  about  noon,  at  midday, 
suddenly  there  shone  from  heaven  a great  light  round 
about  me — I saw  in  the  way  a great  light  from  heaven 
shining  round  about  me,  and  them  that  journeyed  with 
me — and  I fell  unto  the  ground.  And  when  I was  fallen 
to  the  earth,  I heard  a voice  speaking  unto  me  in  the 
Hebrew  tongue,  and  saying, 

Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  Me?  It  is  hard  for 
thee  to  kick  against  the  pricks. 

And  I answered  and  said.  Who  art  Thou,  Lord? 

And  the  Lord*  said  unto  me,  I am  Jesus  of  Nazar- 
eth, whom  thou  persecutest. 

And  they  that  were  with  me  saw  indeed  the  light, 
and  were  afraid;  but  they  heard  not  the  voice  of  Him 
that  spoke  to  me* 

And  I said.  What  shall  I do.  Lord? 

And  the  Lord  said  unto  me.  Arise,  and  stand  upon 
thy  feet,  and  go  into  Damascus;  and  there  it  shall  be 
told  thee  of  all  things  which  are  appointed  for  thee  to 
do.  For  I have  appeared  unto  thee  for  this  purpose, 
to  make  thee  a minister  (servant,  hupeereteen^^  and  a 


[*“The  Lord,”  xxvi,  15,  is  not  in  T.  R.,  but  is  found  in  Cod.,  Sin., 
and  all  uncials.  It  ought  to  be  in  T.  R.] 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  153 

witness  both  of  those  things  which  thou  hast  seen,  and 
of  those  things  in  the  which  I will  (yet)  appear  unto 
thee;  delivering  thee  from  the  people,  and  from  the 
Gentiles  unto  w^hom  1 now  send  thee  (in  order),  to  open 
their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them  (their  eyes,  so  that  they  may 
turn),  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of 
Satan  unto  God,  that  they  may  receive  forgiveness  of 
sins,  and  inheritance  among  them  which  are  sanctified 
by  faith  that  is  in  Me. 

THIRD  PART.  ASCENSION  APPEARANCE. 

About  sixty  years  after  His  ascension,  Jesus  appeared 
twice  to  John,  the  apostle,  during  his  exile  in  the  isle 
of  Patmos,  whither  he  had  been  banished  for  the  word  of 
God  and  the  testimony  of  J esus  Christ.  On  the  second 
of  these  appearances,  He  showed  Himself  from  Heaven 
(Rev.  iv,  v),  and  in  the  first  of  these  He  appeared  to 
Him  on  the  earth.  John’s  description  of  this  one  is  as 
follows  (Rev.  i,  10-19  ): 

1 was  in  The  Spirit  on  the  Lord’s  day,  and  I heard 
behind  me  a great  voice,  as  of  a trumpet,  saying,  I am 
Alpha  and  Omega,  the  first  and  the  last;  and,  what 
thou  seest,  write  in  a book,  and  send  it  unto  the  seven 
churches  which  are  in  Asia:  unto  Ephesus,  and  unto 
Smyrna,  and  unto  Pergamos,  and  unto  Thyatira,  and 
unto  Sardis,  and  unto  Philadelphia,  and  unto  Laodicea. 

And  I turned  to  see  the  voice  that  spake  with  me. 
And  being  turned,  1 saw  seven  golden  candlesticks;  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  seven  candlesticks  one  like  unto  the 
Son  of  man,  clothed  with  a garment  down  to  the  foot, 
and  girt  about  the  paps  with  a golden  girdle.  His  head 
and  His  hairs  were  white  like  wool,  as  white  as  Snow; 
and  His  eyes  were  as  a flame  of  fire;  and  His  feet  like 
unto  fine  brass,  as  if  they  burned  in  a furnace;  and  His 
voice  as  the  sound  of  many  waters.  And  He  had  in  His 


164 


THE  HOLY  RESUHREOTION. 


right  hand  seven  stars,  and  out  of  His  mouth  went  a 
sharp  two-edged  sword;  and  His  countenance  was  as  the 
sun  shineth  in  his  streugth. 

And  when  I saw  Him,  I fell  at  His  feet  as  dead. 
And  He  laid  His  right  hand  upon  me,  saying  unto  me, 
Fear  not;  I am  the  first  and  the  last:  I am  He  that 
liveth,  and  was  dead;  and,  behold,  I am  alive  forever- 
more, Amen;  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death. 

Then  He  gave  him  the  letters  to  the  seven  churches, 
given  us  in  i,  18-20;  ii  and  hi: 

Write  the  things  which  thou  hast  seen  and  the  things 
which  are,  and  the  things  which  shall  be  hereafter;  the 
mystery  of  the  seven  stars  which  thou  sawest  in  My 
right  hand,  and  the  seven  golden  candlesticks.  The 
seven  stars  are  the  angels  of  the  seven  churches:  and 
the  seven  candlesticks  which  thou  sawest,  are  the  seven 
churches. 

LETTER  TO  THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  EPHESUS. 

Unto  the  angel  of  the  church  of  Ephesus  write: 
These  things  saith  He  that  holdeth  the  seven  stars  in 
His  right  hand,  who  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  seven 
golden  candlesticks;  I know  thy  works,  and  thy  labor, 
and  thy  patience,  and  how  thou  canst  not  bear  them 
which  are  evil ; and  thou  hast  tried  them  which  say  they 
are  apostles,  and  are  not,  and  hast  found  them  liars: 
and  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and  for  my  name’s 
sake  hast  labored,  and  hastnot  fainted.  Nevertheless  I 
have  somewhat  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  left  thy 
first  love.  Remember  therefore  from  whence  thou  art 
fallen,  and  repent,  and  do  first  works;  or  else  I will 
come  unto  you  quickly,  and  will  remove  thy  candlestick 
out  of  his  place,  except  thon  repent.  But  this  thou 
hast,  that  thou  hates t the  deeds  of  the  Nicolai tanes, 
which  also  1 hate.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  hiin  hear 


THE  HOLY  EESURRECTION. 


155 


what  The  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches ; To  him  that 
overcometh  will  I give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God. 

LETTER  TO  THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  SMYRNA. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Smyrna,  write: 
These  things  saith  the  first  and  the  last,  which  was  dead, 
and  is  alive;  I know  thy  works,  and  tribulation,  and 
poverty,  (but  thou  art  rich)  and  I know  the  blasphemy 
of  them  which  say  they  are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but  are 
the  synagogue  of  Satan.  Fear  none  of  those  things 
which  thou  shalt  suffer;  behold,  the  devil  shall  cast 
some  of  you  into  prison,  that  ye  may  be  tried;  and  ye 
shall  have  tribulation  ten  days:  be  thou  faithful  unto 
death,  and  I will  give  thee  a crown  of  life.  He  that 
hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  The  Spirit  saith  unto  the 
churches;  He  that  overcometh  shall  not  be  hurt  of  the 
second  death. 

LETTER  TO  THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  PERGAMOS. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  inPergamos  write: 
These  things  saith  He  which  hath  the  sharp  sword 
with  two  edges:  I know  thy  works,  and  where  thou 
dwellest,  even  where  Satan’s  seat  is;  and  thou  boldest 
fast  my  name,  and  hast  not  denied  my  faith,  even  in 
those  days  wherein  Antipas  was  my  faithful  martyr,  who 
was  slain  among  you,  where  Satan  dwelleth.  But  I 
have  a few  things  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  there 
them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  Balaam,  who  taught 
Balac  to  cast  a stumbling-block  before  the  children  of 
Israel,  to  eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols,  and  to  commit 
fornication.  So  hast  thou  also  them  that  hold  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Nicolaitanes,  which  thing  I hate.  Repent; 
or  else  I will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and  will  fight 
against  them  with  the  sword  of  My  mouth.  He  that 
hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  The  Spirit  saith  to  the 


156 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


churches;  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I give  to  eat  of 
the  hidden  manna,  and  will  give  him  a white  stone,  and 
in  the  stone  a new  name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth 
saving  he  that  receiveth  it. 

LETTER  TO  THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  THYATIRA. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Thyatira  write: 
These  things  saith  the  Son  of  God,  who  hath  His  eyes 
like  unto  a flame  of  Are,  and  His  feet  are  like  flne  brass: 
I know  thy  works,  and  charity,  and  service,  and  faith, and 
thy  patience,  and  thy  works ; and  the  last  to  be  more  than 
the  first.  Notwithstanding  I have  a few  things  against 
thee,  because  thou  sufferest  that  woman  Jezebel,  which 
calleth  herself  a prophetess,  to  teach  and  to  seduce  my 
servants  to  commit  fornication,  and  to  eat  things  sacri- 
ficed unto  idols.  And  I gave  her  space  to  repent  of  her 
fornication;  and  she  repented  not.  Behold,  1 will  cast 
her  into  a bed,  and  them  that  commit  adultery  with 
her  into  great  tribulation,  except  they  repent  of  their 
deeds.  And  I will  kill  her  children  with  death;  and 
all  the  churches  shall  know  that  I am  He  which  search- 
eth  the  reins  and  hearts;  and  I will  give  unto  every  one 
of  you  according  to  your  works.  But  unto  you  I say, 
and  unto  the  rest  in  Thyatira,  as  many  as  have  not  this 
doctrine,  and  which  have  not  known  the  depths  of  Satan, 
as  they  speak;  1 will  put  upon  you  none  other  burden 
but  that  which  ye  have  already:  hold  fast  till  I come. 
And  he  that  overcometh,  and  keepeth  My  works  unto 
the  end,  to  him  will  I give  power  over  the  nations;  and 
he  shall  rule  them  with  a rod  of  iron ; as  the  vessels  of 
a potter  shall  they  De  broken  to  shivers:  even  as  I re- 
ceived of  my  Father.  And  I will  give  him  the  morn- 
ing star.  He  that*  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  The 
Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches. 

LETTER  TO  THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  SARDIS. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Sardis  write; 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


167 


These  things  saith  He  that  hath  the  seven  Spirits  of  God, 
and  the  seven  stars;  I know  thy  works,  that  thou  hast  a 
name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead.  Be  watchful,  and 
strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  that  are  ready  to 
die:  for  I have  not  found  thy  works  perfect  before  God. 
Bemember  therefore  how  thou  hast  received  and  heard : 
and  hold  fast,  and  repent.  If  therefore  thou  slialt  not 
watch,  I will  come  on  thee,  as  a thief,  and  thou  shalt 
not  know  what  hour  1 will  come  upon  thee.  Thou  hast 
a few  names  even  in  Sardis  which  have  not  defiled  their 
garments;  and  they  shall  walk  with  me  in  white;  for 
they  are  worthy.  He  that  overcome th,  the  same  shall 
be  clothed  in  white  raiment,  and  I will  not  blot  out  his 
name  out  of  the  Book  of  Life,  but  I will  confess  his  name 
before  my  Father,  and  before  His  angels.  He  that 
hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  The  Spirit  saith  unto  the 
churches. 

LETTER  TO  THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  PHILADELPHIA. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Philadelphia 
write:  These  things  saith  He  that  is  holy,  He  that  is 
true.  He  that  hath  the  key  of  David,  He  that  openeth, 
and  no  man  shutteth;  and  shutteth,  and  no  man  open- 
eth; I know  thy  works:  behold,  I have  set  before  thee 
an  open  door,  and  no  man  can  shut  it;  for  thou  hast  a 
little  strength,  and  hast  kept  my  word,  and  hast  not  de- 
nied my  name.  Behold,  I will  make  them  of  the  syna- 
gogue of  Satan,  which  say  they  are  Jews,  and  are  not, 
but  do  lie;  behold,  I will  make  them  to  come  and  wor- 
ship before  thy  feet,  and  to  know  that  I have  loved  thee. 
Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience,  I also 
will  keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  temptation,  which  shall 
come  upon  all  the  world,  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon 
the  earth.  Behold,  I come  quickly ; hold  that  fast  which 
thou  hast,  that  no  man  take  thy  crown.  Him  that  over- 


158 


TAB  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


cometh  will  I make  a pillar  in  the  temple  of  My  God, 
and  lie  shall  go  no  more  out;  and  I will  write  upon 
him  the  name  of  My  God,  and  the  name  of  the  city  of 
My  God,  which  is  New  Jerusalem,  which  cometh  down 
out  of  heaven  from  My  God : and  I will  write  upon  him 
My  new  name.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what 
The  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches. 

LETTER  TO  THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  LAODICEA. 

And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Laodicea  write: 
These  things  saith  the  Amen,  the  faithful,  and  true 
Witness,  the  Beginning  of  the  creation  of  God:  I know 
thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot:  I would 
that  thou  wert  cold  or  hot.  So  then  because  thou  art 
lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I will  spew  thee 
out  of  My  mouth.  Because  thou  sayest,  I am  rich,  and 
increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing;  and 
knowest  not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable,  and 
poor,  and  blind,  and  naked:  I counsel  thee  to  buy  of  Me 
gold  tried  in  the  fire,  that  thou  mayst  be  rich;  and 
white  raiment,  that  thou  mayst  be  clothed,  and  that  the 
shame  of  thy  nakedness  do  not  appear;  and  anoint  thine 
eyes  with  eye-salve  that  thou  mayest  see.  As  many  as 
I love,  1 rebuke  and  chasten;  be  zealous  therefore,  and 
repent.  Behold,  I stand  at  the  door,  and  knock;  if  any 
man  hear  My  voice,  and  open  the  door,  I will  come  in 
to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  Me.  To 
him  that  overcometh  will  I grant  to  sit  with  Me  in  My 
throne,  even  as  I also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with 
My  Father  in  His  throne.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let 
himhear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches. 

As  these  Letters  to  the  churches  have  a close  connec- 
tion with  the  Return  ot  Jesus,  the  subject  of  the 
next  two,  and  closing,  volumes  of  this  series,  a study 
of  three  is  given  on  pages  223-302.  And  we 
also  give  the  appearance  to  John  as  well  as  to 
Paul  and  Stephen  here  that  the  reader  may  see 


fHB  HOLY  EESURREOTlOiT. 


159 


the  relations  which  the  two  series  sustain  to  each  other; 
and  compare  the  special  purposes  of  each  series  with 
those  of  the  other,  and  of  each  appearance  with  the  rest. 
This  study,  while  it  enlarges  the  understanding,  will 
strengthen  faith,  and  quicken  love. 

There  is  one  experience  of  our  ascended  Lord,  hoW' 
ever,  that  is  so  vitally  connected  with  His  ascension 
and  session  at  God’s  right  hand,  that  it  demands  a larger 
consideration.  This  was  the  fourth  manifestation  of 
Jesus’  glorification: 

HIS  ANOINTING  IN  HEAVEN. 

It  is  thus  described  by  The  Spirit  speaking  through 
the  prophet:  ‘‘Thy  throne,  O God,  is  forever  and  ever. 
The  sceptre  of  Thy  kingdom  is  a right  sceptre.  Thou 
lovest  righteousness,  and  hatest  wickedness:  therefore 
God,  Thy  God,  hath  anointed  Thee  with  the  oil  of  glad- 
ness above  thy  fellows.”  Psalm  xlv,  6,  7.” 

The  fulfillment  of  this  prophecy  and  promise  was  ac- 
complished in  the  actual  anointing  of  Jesus  as  King, 
upon  His  triumphant  return  to  Heaven.  This  is  told 
in  Hebrews  i,  8,  9: 

“But  unto  the  Son  He  saith.  Thy  throne,  O God,  is 
forever  and  ever.:  a sceptre  of  righteousness  in  the  scep- 
tre of  Thy  Kingdom.  Thou  hast  loved  righteousness 
and  hated  iniquity;  therefore  God,  Thy  God,  hath  an- 
ointed Thee  wiih  the  oil  of  gladness  above  Thy  fellows.’’ 

The  Psalm,  called  a “song  of  love,”  is  undoubtedly 
Messianic.  The  human  basis  may  have  been  the  nup- 
tials of  Solomon ; but  its  fulness  of  meaning  can  apply 
only  to  the  Royal  One  typed  by  him.  And  this  appli- 


160 


THE  HOLT  EESUERECTIOH. 


cation  of  it  by  the  writer  of  The  Hebrews  fully  establish- 
es the  fact.  The  subject  of  the  Psalm  is  Messiah  the  King, 
and  His  dominion  on,  and  over,  the  earth. 

His  welcome  home  was  a royal  one;  “Lift  up  your 
heads,  O ye  gates,  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in.” 
And  the  reason  of  this  is  given,  viz;  His  own  worthi- 
ness to  occupy  the  throne.  This  is  based  upon  the  es- 
sential majesty  of  His  Person,  and  the  approved  excel- 
lence of  His  work : “Thy  throne,0  God,is  forever  and  ever, 
the  sceptre  ot  Thy  Kingdom  is  a sceptre  of  righteous- 
ness.” This  is  the  great  qualification  for  effective  hu- 
man rule  and  supremacy.  His  was  to  be  the  govern- 
ment of  all  beneath  the  sun.  And  as  such,  only  as  es- 
tablished and  maintained  in  eternal  right,  could  it  firmly 
stand.  To  Adam  that  dominion  had  been  given.  God’s 
highest  servant  was  entrused  tpith  the  rights  of  God. 
But  he  abode  not  in  honor,  maintained  not  in  right- 
eousness his  sovereign  place.  His  fall  proved  his  per- 
sonal unworthiness,  and  consequent  incapacity  to  be  the 
governing  head  of  a dependent  creation.  But  Jesus  stood 
where  Adam  fell.  He  maintained  and  vindicated  right- 
eousness in  every  possible  trial.  He  thus  showed  Him- 
self possessed  of  personal  fitness  for  human  rule.  For 
the  joy  set  before  Him  He  had  endured  the  cross,  des 
pising  the  shame.  And  He  now  enters  into  this  joy, 
and  receives,  as  The  Man  of  God’s  pure  sanction  and  de- 
light, tlie  rewards  of  righteousness. 

He  is  told  to  gird  on  His  sword  with  glory  and  ma- 
jesty; and  to  go  forth  prosperously,  because  of  meek- 
ness, truth  and  righteousness.  And  His  anointing,  and 


tHE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


161 


investiture  with  the  sceptre  of  human  rule,  is  on  the 
ground  of  His  righteousness — of  His  perfect  obedience, 
and  fulfillment  of  the  word  of  God  (Phil,  ii,  4-7). 

The  Psalm  says,  ‘‘Thou  lovest  righteousness  and  hat* 
est  iniquity,”  &c.  The  present  tense  expresses  His  af- 
fections before  incarnation.  But  in  the  Hebrews  the 
verb  is  in  the  past  tense — “Thou  hast  loved, ”&c. — de- 
noting something  long  enough  past  and  established  to  be 
a settled  fact.  This  describes  the  fact  as  it  was  after 
His  return  to  heaven.  The  experience  of  an  actual, 
thorough,  unresting  testing,  in  every  possible  way,  dur- 
ing the  whole  stay  in  a world  of  sin,  most  conclusively 
shows  that  “Thou  lovest,  and  hast  loved  righteousness 
and  hated  iniquity.”  “Therefore” — as  a result  and  re- 
ward of  this  absolute  holiness  and  merit — “God,  Thy 
God,  hath  anointed  Thee.” 

This  cannot  be  His  anointing  at  baptism.  That  was 
seen  by  John,  this  was  unseen  by  mortal  eye.  That  was  at 
the  beginning  of  His  course,  and  qualified  Him  for  it. 
This  was.  at  its  close,  and  consequent  upon  it.  That 
belongs  to  His  cross  and  crown  of  thorns,  insignia  of 
His  service,  suffering  and  shame.  This  was  connected 
with  His  triumph,  with  a sceptre,  throne,  crown  of  gold, 
and  insignia  of  royalty.  That  was  for  the  ministry  of 
grace,  and  for  the  ends  of  the  first  Advent.  This 
for  the  ministry  of  glory,  and  for  the  ends  of 
the  second  Advent  (Ps.  Ixxx,  20,  29).  ' And  to 
these  insignia  He  had  a right,  in  His  own  name, 
by  His  Father’s  designation,  and  by  His  victory  over 
all  His  foes  (Acts  ii,  36;  Pom.  xiv,  9).  This  was  recog- 


162 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


nized  in  this  anointing.  He,  like  David,  was  anointed 
twice,  before  as  Saviour,  now  as  King.  And  this  an- 
ointing was  connected  with  His  exaltation  and  session 
at  God’s  right  hand,  for  not  until  then  did  He  assume 
the  Kingdom  as  the  Son  of  Man  (Ps.  cx,  1, 2),  He,  filled 
with  The  Spirit,  who  went  with  Him  to  heaven,  re- 
ceived His  Kingdom.  The  Father  anointed  Him  with 
the  oil  of  gladness,  and  enthroned  Him  by  His  side  on 
the  seat  of  dominion  over  all  flesh — infallible  assurance 
that  He  Himself  would  return,  and  that,  meanwhile. 
The  Spirit  would  be  poured  out  upon  all  fiesh.  And  His 
Kingship  was  owned  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Angels 
gave  Him  welcome  and  worship.  Saints  on  earth 
crowned  Him  Lord.  Saints  in  heaven  sang  out,  ^^Worthy 
is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain;”  and  in  the  chorus  of  ador- 
ation and  homage  the  whole  creation  joined.  Hone, 
while  He  was  on  earth,  dreamed  of  the  exalted  career 
of  that  lowly,  unpretending  Man,  nor  of  the  ultimate 
vast  sweep  of  His  beneficent  way.  He  stood  in  all 
outward  aspects  at  the  farthest  possible  remove  from 
His  distinguished  types,  whither  of  the  priestly  or  kingly 
line.  He  never  wore  the  brilliant  breastplate  of  Aaron 
into  the  holy  of  holies.  His  hand  never  held  any  sceptre 
except  the  mocking  reed.  But  His  priestly  work  was 
the  only  real  and  eflScacious  one  earth  ever  saw.  How, 
from  the  depths  of  glory  He  wields  a righteous  sceptre 
over  the  world.  Monarchies  many  and  memorable  have, 
since  He  was  crowned,  fiourished  and  faded  awav,  but 
His  remains.  Monarchs  have  been  feared  and  obeyed, 
but  rarely,  personally  loved  by  their  subjects.  But  His 


163  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

royal  office  has  secured  a depth  of  attachment,  and  a 
fulness  of  service,  to  which  all  the  records  of  earth-born 
royalty  together  furnish  not  one  parallel. 

This  anointing  was  ^^above  Thy  fellows.”  Above  an- 
gels, confirmed  by  Him  in  their  estate,  His  messengers, 
and  His  fellow-partakers  in  the  glories,  holiness  and 
blessedness  of  Heaven.  Above  His  fellow-men,  born 
of  His  Spirit,  united  to  His  Person,  participants  of  His 
nature,  and  members  of  His  family.  These  enter  into 
fellowship  with  His  sufferings  and  death.  They  con- 
stitute the  Bride  which  He  wull  espouse,  and  associate 
in  His  royal  dignity  when  He  returns.  They  share 
the  anointed  fellowship  of  Jesus’  reigning  joy.  He 
sanctifying  and  they  sanctified  are  all  of  one;  there- 
fore He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren;  saying, 
‘‘unto  my  brethren  will  I declare  thy  name.” 

Him  now,  they  delight  to  honor.  By  faith,  through 
The  Spirit  and  word,  they  have  some  sense  of  what  He 
is,  and  what  He  has  done,  and  is  doing,  for  them.  This 
value  is  very  imperfect.  But  they  take  God’s  valuation,the 
value  God  has  set  upon  Him.  This  they  see  in  this  anoint- 
ing, which  was  because  of  His  intrinsic  excellence.  They 
see  Jesus  crowned  with  glory  and  honor.  They  anoint 
Him  in  their  hearts.  They  give  Him  the  best  out  of 
their  ivory  palaces.  They  break  upon  Him  their  boxes 
of  perfume,  and  all  His  garments  smell  of  aloes,  myrrh 
and  cassia.  They  crown  Him  their  King.  They  sound 
His  praises  as  One  whose  name  is  as  precious  ointment 
poured  forth.  So  did  the  Magi.  Their  tribute  was  a 
kind  of  anointing,  expressive  of  the  glory  that  was  in 


164  THE  HOLT  RESURRECTION. 

Him  as  a babe,  and  of  tbeir  homage  to  Him  as  King. 
So  did  the  woman  that  was  a sinner.  The  anointing 
God  had  put  upon  Him,  tor  the  ministry  of  grace  and 
lo\  e to  sinners,  had,  as  He  walked  on  earth,  spread  itself 
abroad.  Her  faith  had  discovered,  used,  enjoyed  it. 
Her  soul,  awakened  to  those  affections,  which  by  it  are 
aroused,  brought  in  its  own  time  and  way,  its  anoint- 
ings also.  Lovely  and  affecting  scene,  with  a character 
all  its  own,  expressive  of  a sinner’s  value  of  Jesus  as 
suited  to  her  needs.  So  did  Mary.  The  nameless  wo- 
man anointed  Him  as  Saviour,  Mary  anointed  Him  as 
King.  The  former,  in  tears  and  in  the  tenderness  of  the 
sinner’s  faith,  the  latter,  without  tears,  with  the  oil  of 
gladness,  in  the  intelligence  and  joy  of  the  matured  be- 
liever’s faith.  The  former,  because  just  saved,  the  lat- 
ter, against  the  day  of  His  burial.  She  knew  He  was 
to  receive  glory,  not  corruption.  Her  faith  said,  Kes- 
urrection  will  preserve  His  body.  And  her  anointing 
is  expressive  of  the  believer’s  sense  of  all  the  value  that 
is  in  Jesus  as  the  Heir  of  all  the  glories  connected  with, 
and  consequent  upon.  His  return  from  the  grave. 

In  this  anointing  Jesus  received  the  completion  of 
the  promise  of  The  Father,  which  He  was  to  send.  And 
the  first  act  of  His  royalty,  the  fifth  manifestation  of 
His  glorification,  was  to  send  The  Spirit  down  (Acts 
ii,  33).  The  invisible  enthronement  in  the  heavens  was 
followed  by  the  visible  coming  of  The  Spirit  to  earth. 
The  fitness  of  receptivity  of  the  disciples  was  complete- 
They  received  the  fulness,  and  along  with  it  a share  in 
His  first  anointing.  As  the  holy  oil  ran  down  the 


THE  HOLY  RESURREQTION. 


165 


beard  of  Aaron’s  garment,  so  this  flows  down  from  Him 
to  them.  His  members,  and  ultimately  to  be  the  joint- 
heirs  to  His  throne. 

This  is  Pentecost.  This  flts  them  to  be  workers  to- 
gether with  Him,  until  He  returns.  This  is  ours  as 
well  as  theirs.  Pentecost  will  be  followed  by  Parousia. 
Then  His  ascension  will  be  theirs  and  ours.  The  Pen- 
tecost gives  the  holiness  and  power  for  service,  Parou- 
sia,  the  glory  and  reward.  He  is  anointed  above  His 
fellows,  for  it  is  right  and  meet  that  in  all  things  He 
has  the  pre-eminence.  But  that  will  not  hinder  their 
participation  in  His  glory,  when  He  returns,  and  they 
are  raised,  with  Him  to  reign.  Heaven  retains  Him 
since  the  day  that  He  vanished  from  the  wistful  gaze  of 
those  who  witnessed  His  ascension.  Now  He  is  hidden, 
but  owned  by  angels,  and  by  the  spirits  of  the  j ust  in 
heaven,  and  by  the  saints  on  earth.  They  await  the 
Epiphany  of  His  glorious  Kingdom.  He  shall  come 
forth  majestically.  Not  alone.  Besides  myriads  of 
saints,  He  shall  be  brought  on  His  way  by  an  angel 
host.  He  shall  come  in  power  and  glory,  as  King  of 
nations.  He  will  be  recognized  as  King  of  kings,  and 
Lord  of  lords.  The  world  which  crowned  Him  with 
thorns,  will  render  supremest  homage  to  him,  the  once 
rejected  Son  of  Man.  In  that  triumph  and  joy  all  His 
saints  will  share.  And  in  that  day  of  His  espousal  and 
gladness  of  heart,  when  the  marriage  will  be  consum- 
mated, and  they  will  see  the  connection  between  anoint- 
ing for  service,  and  anointing  for  reigning,  they  will  look 
back  to  Pentecost  when  and  where  The  Spirit  proclaimed 


166 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


Jesus  King.  Then  will  they  see  how  then  and  since, 
The  Spirit  has  brought  to  J esus  all  those  who  crown 
Him  in  their  hearts,  and  own  His  sway.* 

The  Argument  Rightly  Built  on  these  Facts. 

The  reader  has  now  before  him  the  whole  history  of 
J esus  resurrection.  The  narratives  are  independent  of 
each  other.  The  discrepancies  between  them  are  seem- 
ing. For  despite  them  (though  some  of  these  may  not, 
from  lack  of  information  be  removed  in  time)  the  nar- 
ratives can  be  combined  into  one  harmonious  whole.  And 
the  result  is  one  complete  and  consistent  picture.  In 
its  study  we  see  that  in  the  consciousness  of  the  early 
Church  the  resurrection  of  J esus  was  an  external  reality, 
and  the  foundation  of  their  faith.  And  the  object  of 
the  whole  picture,  as  of  its  parts,  is  to  give  to  everyone 
the  unhesitating  conviction  of  the  reality  with  its  mo- 
mentous consequences. 

There  are  difficulties.  Some  are  philosophical.  To 
these,  however,  this  answer,  ‘‘God  is  able  to  do”  is  suf- 
ficent  for  all  who  believe  in  the  existence  of  a Living, 
Personal  God.  “Why,”  said  Paul  to  King  Agrippa, 
“should  it  be  thought  a thing  incredible  with  you  that 
God  should  raise  the  dead?”  (Acts  xxvi,  8).  Others 
are  critical  and  historical.  These  may  be  largely  re- 
moved by  a sound  exegesis,  and  a clear  statement  of  the 
facts.  And  this  patient  study  must  surely  bring  con- 


[*1  Cor.  xiii.  3.  Eph.  v,  30.  Heb.  ii,  iii.  Matt.  xxv.  31,  33.  Rev.  iii, 
31.  xix.] 


THE  HC/LY  HESURREOTION.  167 

victioH  as  to  the  external  fact  to  every  thoughtful  mind 
and  honest  heart. 

The  testimonies  are  (a)  the  successive  historic  state- 
ments; (b)  the  senses,  intelligence  and  honesty  of  the 
witnesses  and  writers;  (c)  the  words  of  Jesus;  and  (d) 
the  Hebrew  Scriptures. 

In  the  historic  statements  the  miracle  is  intermingled 
with  the  ordinary,  and  is  told  in  the  same  simple  and 
homely  way.  The  writers  recognize  that  Jesus’  resur- 
rection is  a stupendous  fact,  not  unnatural,  but  yet 
wholly  beyond  even  the  extraordinary  in  His  life.  They 
mention  it  as  a natural  and  integral  part  of  His  life. 
They  give  the  proofs  and  arguments  which  He  advanced 
in  evidence  of  the  fact.  They  tell  its  features  and  the 
effects  which  it  wrought  upon  the  thinking  and  acting 
of  His  followers.  They  announce  facts.  They  adduce 
Scriptures.  But  they  never  give  a proof  or  argument 
of  their  own*  Their  very  simplicity  and  earnestness 
attest  their  truthfulness. 

Paul’s  testimony  is  most  direct  and  decided.  In  his 
great  letters  to  the  Romans  (A.  D.  58  or  69),  and  to  the 
Corinthians  (A.D.  59)  our  oldest,  and  only  unassailed  lit- 
erature on  the  subject,  he  mentions  Jesus’  resurrection 
as  a well  recognized  historic  fact.  ‘‘Christ  was  raised 
from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  God,  the  Father,”  and 
“was  declared  to  be  the  Son -of  God  with  power  by  His 
resurrection  from  the  dead.”  He  mentions  a number 
of  His  appearances.  He  declares  that  the  most  of  those 
five  hundred  to  whom  He  had  showed  Himself  alive  at 
one  time  were  still  living  when  he  wrote  this  letter.  To 


168 


THE  HOLY  resurrection. 


their  testimony  he  adds  his  own:  ‘‘I  have  seen  the  Lord,” 
He  then  goes  on,  Christ  be  not  risen,  your  faith  is 
vain — i.  has  no  foundation — and  we  are  found  false 
witnesses  of  God,  because  we  have  testified  of  Him 
that  He  raised  up  Christ,  whom  He  raised  not  up.” 
And  upon  this  resurrection  he  founds  the  resurrection 
of  all  believers.  And  Paul  was  altogether  too  honest 
and  self-respecting  a man  to  stoop  to  such  a degrada- 
tion as  is  involved  in  giving  out  fictions  as  facts,  or  to 
stake  his  own  veracity  upon  statements  which  he  did 
not  know  to  be  absolutely  true. 

Two  of  the  writers,  Matthew  and  John,  were  eye- 
witnesses of  the  facts  which  they  give.  And  John,  in 
his  Letters  and  Revelation,*  mentions  as  an  unques- 
tioned historic  fact  that  Jesus  lived  in  Heaven  as  “the 
First-begotten  from  the  dead,”  and  that  He  had  de- 
clared to  him  “I  am  He  that  liveth,  and  was  dead,  and 
am  alive  forevermore.”  And  the  vividness,  fulness, 
and  minute  and  delicate  details  of  his  descriptions — 
such  as  those  of  the  running  of  Peter  and  himself,  the 
inside  of  the  tomb,  Peter’s  throwing  his  coat  over  his 
naked  body,  and  the  appearances  of  Jesus  given  in  the 
Revelation,  &c  — instantly  impress  upon  the  mind  the 
conviction  that  he  had  witnessed,  and  accurately  nar- 
rates what  he  describes. 

These  testimonies  have  been  subjected  to  the  severest 

[*The  Letters  were  written  about  A.  D.  90 ; the  Revelation, 
A.  D.  96;  the  Gospel  about  A.  D.  78.  Holtzmann,  whose  liberal- 
ism no  one  disputes,  puts  the  date  of  Matthew’s  and  Mark’s  Gos- 
pels prior  to  A.  D.  70,  and  Luke’s  before  A.  D.  80.  Die  Synopt, 
Evan.'\ 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


16P 


and  most  searching  unfriendly  scrutiny.  But  every 
such  investigation  has  strengthened  the  conviction  oi 
their  historic  accuracy.  The  effort  has  been  repeatedly 
made  to  break  their  force  by  disentangling  the  miracu- 
lous from  the  natural.  But  the  two  are  so  interwoven 
in  the  warp  and  woof  of  the  story  that  it  is  soon  seen 
that  it  must  stand  or  fall  as  a whole.  There  is  no  solid 
ground  for  doubting  the  accuracy  of  the  narratives  in 
the  one  more  than  in  the  other.  If  in  the  one^  then 
everywhere  are  they  unworthy  of  credit.  If  their  tes- 
timony as  to  the  resurrection,  then  all  their  testimony 
concerning  Jesus  must  be  rejected.  If  He  did  not  arise, 
He  did  not  exist  at  all. 

Witnesses  and  writers  both  were  men  of  common 
sense.  Having  the  opportunity,  they  had  the  capacity 
to  judge  of  sensible  facts.  They  could  distinguish  be- 
tween reports  and  testimony,  and  justly  estimate  the 
value  of  the  latter.  They  were  independent  thinkers. 
They  differed  in  many  respects  from  each  other.  Doc- 
trinal differences,  individual  preferences,  divergent  ten- 
dencies of  thought  divided  them  into  parties  and  sects. 
But  as  to  the  fact  of  Jesus’  resurrection,  there  was  ab- 
solute oneness  of  conviction.  They  were  few,  unknown, 
unlearned  (save  a few),  uninfluential,  and  unsupported 
by  any  learned  or  influential  men.  They  proclaimed 
salvation  open  to  all  ^fln  Jesus,”  and  impossible  apart 
from  Him.  They  announced  as  facts — the  basis  of  that 
salvation — one  thing  abhorrent  (crucifixion)  to  the  Jew- 
ish theocratic  mind,  and  one  thing  incredible  (resurrec- 
tion) to  the  practical  Roman,  and  philosophic  Grecian 


170 


THE  HOLT  RESUEEEOTION. 


minds.  And  yet  Jews,  most  scrupulous  in  matters 
of  faith,  Romans,  most  practical  in  their  ideas  of  life, 
and  Greeks,  most  cultured  and  keen-witted,  became 
converts.  Around  these  facts  a system  at  once  doctri- 
nal and  ethical,  and  new  in  the  world’s  history,  crystal 
ized.  With  them  its  every  institution,  belief  and  its 
ethical  life  were  indissolvably  intertwined.  From  them 
sprang  every  hope.  These  were  the  foundation  without 
which  it  would  crumble  to  pieces;  the  vital  air,  with- 
out which  it  would  wither  and  die.  If  not  objective 
facts,  they  were  falsehoods;  and  as  such,  weights  which 
must  sink  the  system  into  ruin,  and  its  authors  into 
infamy.  The  system  was  aggressive,  revolutionary  and 
destructive,  hut  constructive  as  well.  Its  preachers 
were  described  as  men  who  turned  the  world  upside 
down.  The  facts  were  first  published  not  in  distant 
and  inaccessible  countries,  but  on  the  spot  where,  and 
a few  days  after,  they  had  occurred;  In  the  presence 
of  a vast  and  promiscuous  concourse  its  preachers 
charged  home  upon  the  murderers  of  Jesus  their  guilt, 
and  announced  the  triumphant  vindication  of  the  Cruci- 
fied; “God  raised  Him  from  the  dead.”  It  was  open- 
ly, fearlessly,  powerfully  proclaimed  not  only  in  Jeru- 
salem, but  also  in  Antioch,  Ephesus,  Corinth,  Rome, 
and  in  all  the  chief  centers  of  intellectual,  social,  politi- 
cal and  commercial  activity.  It  was  proclaimed  in  the 
most  enlightened  era  of  antiquity — the  age  of  Augus- 
tus and  Tiberius;  the  age  of  Cicero,  Yirgil  and  Horace; 
the  age  when,  under  the  attacks  of  philosophy  and  blows 
of  reason,  superstitions  crumbled  into  dust,  when 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION, 


171 


natualism  and  nature-worship  were  in  the  ascendant  as 
they  are  now,  when  one  party  explained  the  movements 
of  matter  by  inherent  forces,  and  another  party  af- 
firmed that  perfection  in  moral  goodness  was  reached 
by  the  unaided  cultivation  of  one’s  moral  powers.  It 
appealed  to  the  thinking,  reasoning  powers,  and  to  the 
common  sense  of  mankind.  It  demanded  the  closest 
investigation.  It  profoundly  stirred,  it  sent  vital  cur- 
rents through  society,  purifying  and  ennobling  it.  It 
aroused,  and  arrayed  against  itself  the  fiercest  hostility. 
By  the  Jews  it  was  assailed  in  the  bitterest  hate.  Its 
adherents  were  stoned  by  mobs,  and  dragged  before 
Councils.  An  explanation  of  their  conduct  was  de- 
manded, and  fearlessly  given — given  with  all  unwaver- 
ing conviction  of  truth.  All  sorts  of  charges  were  al- 
leged. But  never  once  was  the  cry  raised,  ‘^these  men 
are  imposters.”  Never  once  were  their  facts  challenged 
by  any  one.*  The  saying  ‘^was  commonly  reported,” 
but  not  commonly  believed.  If  it  was  ever  urged,  or 
even  seriously  entertained  by  any  one,  the  fact  has  left 
not  the  slightest  trace  on  the  literature  of  the  first  cen- 
tury. Its  object  was  to  paralyze  the  preaching  of  Je- 
sus’ followers.  But  it  seems  not  to  have  made  any 
impression.  Thousands  of  Jews,  including  ^^a  great 
company  of  the  priests,”  became  obedient  to  the  faith. 
The  Church  was  at  once  formed  in  Jerusalem.  Within 

[*See  Acts,  passiom.  We  do  not  forget  the  story  started  by 
the  Sanhedrim  just  after  Jesus’ resurrection,  and  still  in  circula- 
tion when  Matthew’s  Gospel  was  written,  thirty  years  after  the 
event  (Matt,  xxviii,  10-15),  and  also  handed  down  by  later  Jews. 
(Toledoth  J eschu.  Dialogue  with  Trypho,) 


172 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


twenty-five  years  after  that  it  was  established  and  flourish- 
ing in  the  chief  cities  of  the  Koman  Empire,  and  in  the 
regions  beyond.  In  iiome,  as  we  learn  from  Tacitus’ 
graphic  description,  and  as  early  as  A.  D.  80,  the  Church 
suffered  the  first  great  persecution  from  the  Gentile 
Powers.  The  Sanhedrim  knew  that  the  fact  was  pub- 
licly aud  constantly  proclaimed  in  the  city  and  that 
multitudes  were  daily  becoming  convinced  thereby  that 
Jesus  was  the  Christ.  They  were  grieved  that  Jesus 
and  the  resurrection  were  preached.  They  heard  the* 
arrested  men’s  statement,  ^^This  Jesus  whom  ye  crucified 
God  has  raised  from  the  dead.”  They  were  urged  by 
the  strongest  motives  to  deny  the  statement,  and  had 
the  amplest  opportunities  to  investigate  its  accuracy. 
They  did  not  even  make  the  attempt-  And  what  sufficient 
reason  can  be  assigned  for  this  conduct  save  this:  the 
allegations  were  facts.  They  let  the  disciples  go.  And 
when  they  were  let  go  they  went  forth  rejoicing  that 
they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  His  sake.  But 
their  mouths  were  not  stopped.  Despite  all  hardships, 
trials,  persecutions  and  threats  they  boldly  affirmed  the 
facts,  of  which  they  were  eye  and  ear  witnesses.  And 
their  preaching  produced  conviction.  Converts  multi 
plied  in  every  direction.  Lives  and  hearts  were  changed. 
Men  were  cheered  by  the  doctrines  which  they  preached, 
and  animated  by  the  hopes  which  those  doctrines  in- 
spired. 

The  construction  of  their  books  shows  consummate 
wisdom.  The  details — such  as  the  seal  guard,  earth- 
quake, terror-stricken  soldiers,  affrighted  women,  weep- 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  lt3 

ing  Mary,  troubled  Peter  and  John,  doubting  Thomas, 
sad  and  suddenly  joyful  Clophas,  the  calm  Christ,  these 
and  many  more — bear  the  stamp  of  historic  accuracy 
upon  their  face.  Could  the  most  inventive  genius  con- 
struct such  narratives?  Could  it  be  found  to  move  so 
many  men  to  write  upon  a subject  within  a few  years 
of  each  other,  each  one  using  only  those  things  which  ans- 
wered the  object  he  had  in  \iew,  some  of  which  seem 
manifest  divergencies  from  the  statements  of  the  others, 
but  all  giving  surprising,  and  truth  seeming  details  and 
all  showing  such  complete  unity  of  design  in  convey- 
ing to  the  mind  the  imj)ression  of  the  actual  resurrec- 
tion of  a real  Person?  and  He  One  whose  character  they 
had  so  fully  delineated?  Could  the  writers  be  so  moved 
by  this  genius  as  to  write  all  this,  knowing  all  the  time 
that  they  were  writing  fiction?  This  would  be  a varia- 
tion from  the  ordinary  experience  of  the  working  of  the 
mind  more  wonderful  than  the  fact  of  the  resurrection 
itself. 

Their  attempt  to  palm  upon  the  world  a fiction  for  a 
fact  on  the  supposition  they  did  this  makes  them  the 
most  unprincipled  of  men.  Could  such  men  have  de- 
lineated a character  so  thoroughly  unique,  so  truthful, 
and  of  such  surpassing  loveliness  as  that  they  ascribe 
to  Jesus?  The  parts  are  indissolubly  connected  together. 
He  is  represented  as  both  a natural  and  a supernatural 
Person.  This  delineation  could  not  possibly  be  the  re- 
sult of  natural  processes,  nor  could  such  a Person  be  the 
victim  of  natural  destiny.  His  incarnation  necessitates 
resurrection. 


174 


THE  HOLY  KESURRECTION. 


The  writers  had  nothing  in  all  previous  history, in  any 
book,  in  any  existing  mythologies  or  philosophies,  nor  in 
any  of  the  conceptions  of  the  anticipated  Messiah,  out  of 
which  to  fabricate  these  things,  or  to  build  up  such  a 
character.  These  were  totally  at  variance  with  the  actnal 
life  of  the  delineated  Christ.  These  were  founded  upon 
the  then  current  interpretations  of  the  prophecies,  that 
upon  the  lived  facts.  In  their  light  the  prophecies  were 
found  to  be  unlike  the  previous  and  popular  impression, 
but  wonderfully  correspondent  with  these  facts,  and  in 
their  light  wonderfully  clear.  And  this  fact  shows  that 
they  could  not  possibly  have  constructed  the  life  out  of 
either  the  prophecies  or  the  popular  conception. 

But  more.  They — on  this  hypothesis — constructed  a 
system  in  which,  and  on  whose  facts,  they  placed  their 
present  peace  and  eternal  happiness.  ^^If,”  said  they, 
‘dn  this  life  only  we  have  hope,  we  are  of  all  men  most 
miserable.  For,  if  Christ  be  not  risen,  the  dead  rise 
not,”  i,  e.,  there  is  no  future  state.  Thus  they  cut 
themselves  off  from  all  future  bliss.  They  pronounce 
themselves  the  most  miserable  of  men  in  this  life.  They 
spend  time,  money,  reputation,  life,  and  they  endure  pov- 
erty, persecution,  suffering,  shame  and  toil.  For  what? 
For  the  propagation  of  a delusion  which  had  made  them 
unhappy,  could  only  make  every  one  unhappy,  and 
which  could  not  be  of  the  slightest  imaginable  benefit  to 
any  one.  This  would  be  an  absurdity  unparalleled. 
And  yet  they  proclaimed  this  system  with  the  avowed 
purpose  of  influencing  mankind  to  believe  it  true,  and  to 
receive  it  for  their  temporal  and  eternal  good. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


175 


This  system  is  one  of  snpremest  holiness  and  of 
boundless  benevolence.  It  seeks  man’s  good  in  his  sal- 
vation from  sin  and  pollution.  It  most  pronouncedly 
condemns  all  falsehood  and  wrong;  forbids  the  doing  of 
evil  that  good  may  come;  opposes  man’s  passions  and 
sinful  life;  and  is  the  object,  until  he  is  converted,  of 
his  determined  hostility.  It  addresses  his  nobler  powers, 
satisfies  all  his  true  yearnings  and  aspirations,  and  gives 
both  the  will  and  power  to  love,  and  be  helpful  to  his 
fellow  men.  It,  has  made  its  way  by  no  gorgeous  cere- 
monial, no  fascinating  rite,  no  physical  power,  no  sup- 
port of  infiuential  men.  It  is  too  severely  chaste  and 
simple  for  the  former,  too  benevolent  for  the  latter,  and 
too  lowly  for  the  last.  For  its  progress  in  the  world  it 
acknowledges  its  indebtedness  to  naught  else  save  its 
Author,  its  own  intrinsic  excellence,  and  its  own  proofs  of 
its  own  heavenly  origin.  And  yet  it  spread  with  a ra- 
pidity that  amazed  and  alarmed  the  nations.  Opposing 
systems  crumbled  to  pieces  before  its  advancing  tread. 
It  conquered  the  world.  To-day  it  is  wide-spread,  and 
growing.  It  has  rooted  itself  in  the  heart  of  humanity. 
It  is  found  alike  in  stately  houses  and  humble  cottages. 
It  fiourishes  equally  amid  the  snows  of  the  North  and 
in  the  perpetual  verdure  of  the  South,  in  the  wilds  of 
Africa  and  in  the  centers  of  civilization.  It  has  created 
the  civilization  of  Europe  and  America,  and  evermore 
brings  incalculable  blessings  to  mankind. 

This  system  was  founded  upon  the  death  and  resur- 
rection of  Jesus.  They  were  proclaimed  because  be- 
lieved. The  living  Church  is  a living  proof  of  belief  in 


1T6 


THE  HOLY  REStJRRECTlO]^, 


these  facts.  Baur  admits  this.  ^‘The  faith,”  says  he,^^of  the 
disciples  in  these  things  as  facts,  is  most  certain  and  indis- 
putable. This  faith  is  the  only  foundation  solid  enough 
to  sustain  the  superstructure  of  Christianity  in  its  whole 
historic  development.”^  iStraus  admits  the  same  thing.-j- 
But  the  faith  could  not  have  grown  up  apart  from  the 
fact.  The  whole  history  of  the  Church  in  its  rise  pro- 
gress, and  ennobling  influences  upon  the  individual, 
society,  nations,  is  a fact  which  no  reasoning  can  dis- 
turb. Through  it  has  been  wrought  the  most  stupen- 
dous changes  in  human  thinking,  and  none  more  mar- 
vellous than  that  about  the  cross.  It  was  the  most 
odious  of  punishments.  The  odium  attached  to  the 
gallows,  guillotine  and  block  is  almost  praise  compared 
with  the  abysmal  infamy  attached  to  the  cross.  It  was 
never  wiped  away.  Nothing  except  total  oblivion  could 
save  the  name  and  family  from  the  badge,  ^^accursed  of 
man,”  and  ^^accursed  of  God.”  It  seemed  utterly  im- 
possible for  anything  ever  to  lift  the  instrument  and  its 
association  out  of  the  degradation  and  odium  belonging 
to  them  in  the  judgment  of  mankind.  The  Jews  knew 
that  Jesus  had  stamped  His  influence  too  deeply  upon 
the  national  mind  for  Him  to  hope  for  oblivion.  His 
memory  could  not  perish.  And  therefore,  that  He 
might  be  consigned  to  eternal  infamy,  they  crucifled 
Him.  But  out  of  this  degradation  and  infamy  the  cross 
came  forth  transflgured,  the  sign  of  honor  and  the  sym- 
bol of  the  salvation  of  God.  It  was  not  a change 

[*i)m  ersten  Jahrhundert^  2d  ed.,  pages  39,  40.] 

\\Lehen  Jesiu^  page  289.] 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


177 


WTOuglit  by  the  mellowing  influence  of  distance  or  time. 
In  the  city  where,  and  within  a few  days  after  the  time 
when  on  it  J esiis  hung,  it  was  glorifled.  And  not  long 
afterwards  the  world  was  amazed  to  hear  that  so  grand 
a man,  and  so  firm  a persecutor  as  Saul  of  Tarsus  had 
become  thoroughly  turned  to  it,  and  was  everywhere 
saying,  glory  only  in  the  cross  of  Christ;”  and  that 
sound  was  re-eclioed  by  multitudes,  some  among  whom 
were  the  noblest,  purest,  kindliest  of  mankind. 

What  was  it  that  caused  this  stupendous  change  in 
human  thinking?  that  lifted  up  the  cross  to  the  exalted 
position  it  occupies?  Not  the  sufferings  of  Jesus  merely. 
These  might  win  pity  and  respect,  but  could  not  command 
reverence  and  love.  A dead  Christ  could  not  have 
shaken  down  the  solid  foundations  of  idolatry  and  its 
institutions  as  they  existed  at  Corinth  and  Rome,  and  on 
their  ruins  have  erected  a religion  and  its  civilization  whol- 
ly opposite.  Only  the  living  Christ  could  do  this.  It  was 
the  nature  and  results  of  those  sufferings,  the  character 
of  the  Sufferer,  and  the  seal  which  His  resurrection 
had  stamped  upon  both:  His  sufferings  endured  for  the 
benefit  of  man;  His  character  such  as  became  the  Messiah, 
calm,  self-possessed,  suffering  and  dying  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  dignity  of  His  Person,  and  of  object  of 
His  mission,  and  in  the  fullest  assurance  of  soul;  and 
His  resurrection,  putting  upon  all  the  stamp  of  God’s 
approval:  these  it  was  that  at  once  changed  the  cross  into 
all  that  it  has  been  ever  since.  In  the  light  of  resurrec- 
tion every  fact  of  His  death  became  clear  as  a sunbeam. 
And  the  cross,  at  once  the  symbol  of  the  work  accom- 


178  THE  HOLY  RESURItEOtlOl^. 

plislied  upon  it,  and  of  the  vast  and  beneficent  results 
fiowing  from  that  work  to  man,  stands  forth  in  resurrec- 
tion light,  transformed,  illumined,  glorious  to  the  end 
of  time. 

Could  any  system  based  on  a falsehood  or  myth  have 
accomplished  all  this?  Could  unprincipled  men  have 
originated  a system  whose  foundation  being  really  a lie  has 
yet  all  the  appearance,  power,  authority,  usefulness  of 
truth?  Could  they  impose  it  upon  thinking  men?  And 
yet  this  is  what  they  did,  and  with  such  marvellous 
success  that  their  lie  obtained  a permanent  triumph  over 
truth.  Their  supposed  facts  took  deep  root,  and  spread. 
Men  were  regenerated.  Nations  were  lifted  up.  The^ 
world  was  revolutionized.  The  face  of  history  was 
changed.  Despite  all  attacks  upon  it,  it  has  maintained  its 
ascendency  for  two  thousand  years,  and  seems  possessed 
of  vitality  enough  to  flourish  for  thousands  of  years  to 
come.  Was  that  system  concocted  by  men?  Rests  it  upon 
a fraud?  To  ask  men  to  believe  this  is  to  ask  something 
more  than  the  average  thinker  who  studies  the  facts,  can 
accept.  Christianity  is  altogether  too  massive  a struc- 
ture to  rest  upon  an  un-reality.  It  is  infinitely  easier  to 
believe  that  it  is  the  offspring  of  a miracle,  than  to  be- 
lieve that  it  is  the  offspring  of  a lie. 

The  lives  of  the  founders  corresponded  with  the  ethics 
of  the  system  which  they  proclaimed.  ^^Put  away,” 
said  they,  ‘^all  lying,  guile  and  hypocrisy,  and  evermore 
speak  the  truth.  Be  faithful  to  God,  and  do  your  whole 
duty  to  man.  Be  sober,  honest,  kind  to  all,  and  remem- 
ber the  poor.”  So  they  preached.  So  they  acted.  Their 


THE  HOLY  HESURREOTION. 


179 


lives  were  above  reproach.  They  labored  with  their  own 
hands.  Being  reviled,  they  blessed.  Being  persecuted, 
they  suffered  it.  ^^You,  and  God  also,  are  witnesses,  how 
holily,  justly  and  unblamably  we  behaved;  not  walking  in 
craftiness,  nor  handling  the  word  of  God  deceitfully,  but 
manifesting  ourselves  to  every  man’s  conscience  in  the 
sight  of  God.”  Thus  they  lived,  and  thus  they  labored, 
because  they  trusted  in  Jesus,  the  Saviour  of  all,  who 
both  died  and  rose  again. 

These  are  the  men  upon  whose  testimony  rests  our 
belief  in  the  fact  of  resurrection.  The  rejection  of  this 
testimony  involves  us  in  endless  contradictions,  and 
compels  us  to  admit  things  repugnant  to  our  feelings, 
and  contrary  to  the  course  of  human  events.  We  must 
believe  that  a company  of  men,  honorable  in  all  other 
respects,  banded  together  to  aim  ostensibly  at  good 
through  the  fabrication  of  a lie,  that  they  held  together, 
and  continually  enlarged,  without  one  being  found  to 
ever  give  the  slightest  intimation  of  the  fraud,  and  that 
they  placed  all  their  own  hopes  upon  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus,  while  they  knew  all  the  time  that  He  was  fast 
locked  up  in  the  tomb.  This  is  a story  too  incredible 
for  the  acceptance  of  any  sane  and  honest  mind. 

Let  us  turn  to  the  facts  which  they  give. 

1.  Jesus  frequently  fore-announced  His  own  death, 
and  subsequent  resurrection  on  the  third  day  following.* 
These  facts  were  to  be  fraught  with  the  richest  blessings 
to  mankind.  As  a memorial  of  them  and  of  Himself, 

[*Matt.  xxi,  21;  xvii,  23;  xx,  15;  Mark  ix,  31;  x,  34;  Luke 
ix,  22 ; xviii,  33 ; xxiv,  7.] 


180 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


He  instituted  a simple  Supper  whose  continuance  would 
be  till  He  came  again.  On  the  night  of  its  institution 
He  was  betrayed  and  arrested.  On  the  following  day 
He  was  condemned  to  death  by  the  Jewish  supreme  tri- 
bunal, and  executed  by  the  order  of  the  Roman  gov- 
ernor. At  3 P.  M.  He  died.  Pilate,  when  thoroughly 
satisfied  of  this  fact  gave  His  body  to  a J ewish  coun- 
cillor, who  buried  it  in  his  own  tomb.  Upon  the  great 
stone  closely  fitting  into  the  sepulchre’s  mouth,  Pilate’s 
official  seal  was  stamped,  and  a guard  of  Roman  soldiers 
was  placed  by  his  command  at  the  tomb.  Their  duty 
was  to  prevent  any  one  taking  away  the.  Body.  These 
facts  are  beyond  dispute.  No  link  in  the  chain  of  the  tes- 
timony is  wanting.  Jesus  was  actually  dead  and  buried. 

2.  Nothing,  during  the  next  forty  hours,  disturbed 
the  quiet  of  the  tomb.  Then  the  tomb  was  burst  open, 
and  the  Body  was  gone.  Was  it  taken  away?  So  said 
the  soldiers.  But  this  was  at  the  instance  of  the  priests 
to  whom  they  told  the  facts  which  they  knew,  and  who 
had  every  motive  to  conceal  those  facts.  Did  friends 
remove  it?  Their  mental  and  moral  condition  at  the 
time  absolutely  forbids  the  supposition.  They  had  all 
forsaken  the  living  Jesus.  What  possible  motive  was 
powerful  enough  to  impel  them  to  disturb  the  Body  of  the 
dead  Jesus,  whose  end  had  seemingly  so  cruelly  mocked 
the  glory  of  His  life,  disappointed  all  their  hopes,  and 
had  exposed  them  to  all  the  obloquy  of  following  a false 
Messiah?  Did  enemies  remove  it?  They  had  no  motive 
to  do  this.  And  if  they  had  done  it,  their  word  to  this 
effect  would  have  confronted  the  idea  of  resurrection; 


THE  HOLY  KESURRECTION. 


181 


and,  siicli  was  the  popular  clamor  against  Jesus,  would 
have  been  credited.  And  farther,  had  they  done  it,  and 
then  told  where  the  body  was,  that  would  most  effect- 
ually have  killed  the  cause  of  Jesus.  Did  unknown 
Iversons  remove  it?  The  seal,  guard,  absence  of  all  mo- 
tives say,  no.  And  as  for  the  story  started  by  the  priests, 
the  following  is  a suflSicient  answer.  Peter  and  John  once, 
and  the  body  of  the  apostles  twice,  were  brought  before 
the  Sanhedrim,  and  boldly  in  their  presence  declared 
that  Jesus  had  arisen  (Acts  iv,  1-22;  v,  17-32.)  Most 
favorable  opportunities  these  to  expose  the  fraud.  Why 
was  it  not  done?  Why,  rather  was  the  fact  admitted  by 
implication?^  Is  it  not  strange  that  the  guard’s  remis- 
sions was  never  reported  to  headquarters?  No  valid 
reason  has  ever  been  given  why  Matthew’s  statement  a- 
bout  the  soldiers  should  not  be  implicitly  believed.  They 
told  the  facts  as  far  as  they  knew  them.  Their  word 
was  believed.  And  to  account  for  the  empty  tomb 
— a fact  which  would  soon  be  known  throughout  the 
city — they  were  bribed  to  tell  the  lie. 

3.  To  certain  women,  who  went  early  to  the  sepul- 
chre, an  angel,  declared  that  Jesus  had  arisen,  and  would 
meet  His  disciples  in  Galilee.  They  returned  to  the 
city  in  haste,  and  told  the  disciples.  The  chief  priests 
believed  the  soldiers;  the  disciples  believed  not  the  wo- 
men’s words.  The  latter  announced  resurrection.  And 
this  was  a fact  that  the  disciples  were  not  in  a condition  of 
mind  to  accept.  Even  when  Peter  and  John  saw  in  the 


[*See  GamalieUs  remark.  Acts  v,  34-39.] 


182 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


order  of  tlie  grave  clothes  in  the  empty  tomb  the  rul- 
ing of  the  highest  presence  of  mind,  and  of  the  greatest 
composure  of  spirit,  they  could  not  see  initthe  idea  of 
resurrection.  The  facts  they  were  cognizant  of  may 
have  been  a stepping  stone  to  faith  in  it,  and  to  the  con- 
sequent complete  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God.  But 
that  was  all.  Up  to,  say,  5 P.  M.  of  that  day  not  a nlan 
believed  that  J esus  had  arisen.  The  first  two  who  did 
were  Clophas  and  his  friend.  To  them  J esus  appeared 
and  made  Himself  known  in  the  breaking  of  bread.  This 
was  His  third  appearance  on  that  day.  Thence  on  He 
appeared  to  His  disciples  in  different  places,  and  under 
different  circumstances,  sometimes  to  few,  sometimes  to 
many,  once  by  appointment,  and  that  to  above  five  hun- 
dred at  once.  He  made  Himself  known  to  the  senses 
of  persons  amply  qualified  to  judge  as  to  His  identity. 
He  gave  them  ample  opportunity  for  the  closest  inspec- 
tion. By  the  senses  of  touch,  sight  and  hearing  they 
tested  Him,  and  were  thoroughly  satisfied  of  the  reality, 
both  of  the  Body,  and  of  its  resurrection. 

These  appearances  were  not  those  of  a ghost.  The 
first  one  to  the  company  of  the  disciples  was  after  they 
had  been  told  of  those  to  Mary,  to  the  women,  to  Olo- 
phas  and  his  friend,  and  to  Peter.  It  was  a sudden,  un- 
expected presence  in  a room  where  the  doors  were  shut. 
It  terrified  them.  They  supposed  it  was  a spirit.  He 
calmed  their  terror,  and  removed  their  doubts.  ‘‘Handle 
Me,”  said  He;  “a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones  as  ye 
see  Me  have.” 

Nor  were  they  visions  in  either  the  spiritual  or  pop- 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


183 


ular  acceptation  of  that  term.  This,  the  hypothesis  of 
Holsten,  adopted  also  by  Lang,  (Heinrich)  by  Straus 
{Neues  Leben)^  and  by  the  author  of  Supernatural 
Religion^  is  seemingly  rational  and  scientific.  But  it 
ruins  the  character  of  the  witnesses,  and  it  does  not  sat- 
isfactorily explain  the  facts.  It  first  strives  to  make 
the  ante  and  post  ascension  appearances  the  same  in 
kind.  Then  it  labors  to  show  that  post  ones,  espec- 
ially those  to  Paul,  were  but  vivid  mental  impressions. 
The  mind  seemed  to  see  Jesus.  Then  mistaking  the 
subjective  for  the  objective,  it  invested  what  was  not 
real  with  reality.  They  were  not  a bodily  apparition, 
but  only  a vision  to  the  mind. 

Two  passages  are  given  as  the  basis  and  support  of 
this  theory:  was  not  disobedient  to  the  hea/oenly  vis- 

ion'y^  “it  pleased  God  to  reveal  His  Son  in  me  ” (Acts 
xxvi,  19;  Gal.  i,  i6;  Cor.  xii,  5-6).  But  when  we  com- 
pare these  with  those  in  which  the  appearances  are 
mentioned  (Acts  ix,  3-6;  xxii,  3-16;  xxvi,  8-18;  1 Cor. 
ix,  1;  XV,  8)  we  at  once  perceive  that  these  were  ob- 
jective appearances,  and  that  the  manifestations  to  the 
soul  (an  experience  common  to  believers,  Jn.  xiv,  24) 
accompanied  it,  and  was  different  in  character  from  it. 
This  must  have  been  so,  if  Paul  honestly  told,  and  Luke 
accurately  narrated  the  facts.  The  visional  theory  can- 
not be  made  to  harmonize  with  either  of  the  statements, 
or  with  the  mental  or  moral  characteristics  of  Paul. 
He  undoubtedly  regarded  the  appearance  as  an  objec- 
tive one.  He  puts  it  in  the  lists  of  what  all  regarded 
as  such  and  which  he  uses  as  a proof  of  our  bodily  resur- 


184 


THE  HOLY  KESURRECTION, 


rection.  He  describes  it  by  the  word  optasia^  a sights  a 
spectacle^  {heavenly  vision  E,  Y.)  rather  than  orama^  or 
orasis^  the  word  always  used  in  tlie  N.  T.  to  designate 
the  internal  vision.  And  that  he  intended  by  the  word  to 
designate  an  objective  reality  is  evident  from  his  word 
to  Agrippa,  concerning  God’s  ability  to  raise  the  dead. 
And  lurther,  when  he  was  doubtful  as  to  the  char- 
acter of  a manifestation,  he  was  very  careful  to  make  the 
doubt  known.  1 Cor.  xii.  His  Judgment  was  too  cool, 
his  intellect  too  clear,  his  reasoning  faculties  too  acute, 
his  ethical  faculties  too  practical,  wise  and  straight-for- 
ward, and  his  whole  humanity  too  robust  and  manly,  to 
mistake  a subjective  for  an  objective  reality,  or  to  declare 
that  he  had  seen,  when  he  had  not  seen  the  Lord.  He 
could  be  neither  the  victim  nor  author  of  such  a delusion. 

Farther,  save  the  adjunct  of  locality,  there  is  no  ap- 
parent difference  as  to  reality  and  objectiveness  between 
the  ante  and  the  post  ascension  appearances.  The  im- 
pression upon  the  mind  of  the  beholders  was  that  they 
were  objective  manifestations.  If  they  were  not,  but 
only  the  spirit  of  Jesus  glorified,  then  He  deceived  the 
people.  And  this  is  the  annihilation  of  His  character. 

On  the  visional  theory  the  ante  ascension  appearances 
might  account  for  the  post  ascension  ones,  but  the  lat- 
ter certainly  could  not  originate,  therefore  not  explain 
the  former.  This  throws  us  back  to  the  ante-acension 
ones.  And  here  the  hypothesis  is  met  by  most  formid- 
able difficulties,  (a)  The  difference  between  the  objec- 
tive visions  of  which  we  have  a record  in  the  Bible  and 
a subjective  one,  and  between  the  recorded  ones  and 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


185 


these  appearances  is  very  marked.  Let  any  one  take  a 
concordance  and  hunt  up,  and  read  the  passages  which 
speak  of  visions,  and  then  compare  them  with  these  nar- 
ratives and  he  will  at  once  see  how  marked  the  contrast 
between  the  three  things,  (b)  Would  not  one  who  had 
experience  of  these  phenomena,  question  consciousness 
in  his  calmer  moments?  Thomas’  mind  was  a doubting 
one,  Peter’s  was  practical,  Paul’s  sober,  cultivated  prac- 
tical and  profound.  Would  such  minds  mistake  a sub- 
jective vision  or  hallucination  for  a reality,  be  carried 
away  by  it,  and  never  once  detect  or  have  a question 
concerning  the  reality?  (c)  A vision  could  only  have 
suggested  this:  “Jesus  is  in  heavenly  glory.”  The  dis- 
ciples could  not  hence,  have  said  truthfully,  “we  have 
seen  the  risen  Lord  down  here.”  Nor  could  they  have 
suddenly  sobered  down  from  the  visionary  state,  and, 
looking  the  cold  facts  in  the  face  have  then  stood 
up  before  the  Sanhedrim  which  condemned  Him  to  death, 
and  calmly  and  boldly  said,  “Jesus  is  risen.”  Fifty  days 
are  not  time  enough  for  belief  in  resurrection  to  grow 
up  in  so  many  minds  out  of  a hallucination.  Straus 
felt  and  confessed  this  difficulty.  It  left  him,  he  saw., 
no  ground  to  stand  upon.  Hence  all  his  frantic  efforts 
to  do  away  with  the  appearances  which  occurred  on  the 
first  day.  (d)  A subjective  vision  cannot  be  made  to 
accord  with  the  facts  as  given,  in  their  number,  variety 
and  details,  nor  with  the  solid  hard  tacts  of  a dead  and 
buried  Jesus,  the  non-expectation  of  resurrection,  the 
desolation,  the  dismay,  the  complete  breakdown  and  ut- 
terly cheerless  and  hopeless  condition  of  the  disciples. 


186 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


How  could  those  who  expected  no  resurrection  mistake 
a mental  hallucination  for  a bodily  appearance?  They 
might  and  at  first  did  suppose  that  they  had  seen  a ghost- 
But  how  could  they  suddenly  transform  a ghost  into  a 
bodily  reality?  It  would  be  psychologically  impossible 
for  such  men  to  weave  out  of  such  facts  a series  of  vis- 
ions such  as — on  this  theory — the  narratives  give,  and 
then  associate  themselves  together  in  order  to  persistently 
declare  them  to  be  objective  realities,  (e)  The  appear- 
ances themselves  show  that  they  were  not  subjective. 
They  were  not  a luminous  something  fioating  in  the  air, 
and  vanishing  in  the  sky.  They  were  a localised  tanga- 
bility,  which  gave  full,  definite,  audible  instructions  and 
promises  for  the  conducting  of  the  Church,  and  which 
pointed  out  from  the  Scriptures  that  His  resurrection 
must  of  necessity  follow  His  sufierings  and  death.  And 
(f)  the  visional  theory  will  not  at  all  accord  with  the 
fact  that  the  appearances  did  not  become  an  abiding  ele- 
ment in  the  life  of  the  Church.  They  have  determinate 
and  narrowly  drawn  boundaries.  They  suddenly  began. 
And  they  suddenly  ceased.  With  the  exception  of  the 
post-ascension  ones  they  are  comprised  within  the  limits 
of  forty  days.  On  the  well  marked  day  of  Jesus’  return 
to  His  Father,  they  ceased,  and  the  disciples  calmed 
down.  Even  before  that,  they  exhibited  no  sign  of  vis- 
ionary or  morbid  excitement.  They  went  a fishing. 
They  addressed  themselves  to  their  life  calling  and  com- 
mon duties.  Could  they  have  done  this  if  under  so 
strange  a hallucination  as  this  theory  declares  them  to 
have  been?  A sudden  transition  from  a state  of  vision- 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


18T 


ary  and  morbid  excitement  to  a state  so  collected  and 
cool  is  psychologically  impossible.  The  calmness,  the 
self-posesssion,  the  thoroughly  practical  energy  of  will,  all 
indicate  a perfectly  sound  mental  and  moral  condition. 
The  strictly  determined  manifestations  and  their  cessa- 
tion, and  the  change  in  the  disciples  can  be  accounted 
for  intelligently  upon  no  possible  hypothesis  save  this, 
that  both  were  controlled  by  the  external  fact.  With- 
out the  fact  the  faith  could  not  have  been  born.  The 
clearness,  considerateness,  repose  of  spirit  and  ear- 
nestness of  endeavor  which  ever  after  characterized  the 
disciples  absolutely  forbid  the  supposition  that  they 
were  a company  of  visionaries  in  which  each  one  tried 
to  infect  every  other  one  with  his  own  fanaticism.  Unless 
the  evidences  of  the  senses  be  wholly  swept  away  as  wholly 
unreliable,  the  fact  must  stand.  And  it  overturns  the 
visional  theory.  Nor  is  this  theory  either  rational  or 
scientific.  It  can  give  no  satisfactory  explanation  of  the 
origin  of  the  belief  in  actual  resurrection,  nor  of  the  se- 
ries of  appearances.  It  makes  all  the  witnesses  dishonest 
and  irrational.  All  this  is  a demand  too  enormous  to  be 
accepted.  Faith  in  the  fact  must  live  unless  you  would 
destroy  the  foundations  of  all  historical  knowledge,  and 
empty  the  past  of  all  reality. 

The  change  in  the  thinking  of  the  disciples,  was  sud- 
den and  complete.  The  following  facts  are  unquestioned : 
The  disciples  were  not  prepared  for  resurrection,  and 
did  not  believe  the  first  tidings  of  it.  Notwithstanding 
the  stupendous  news  of  the  fact,  and  the  profound  im- 
pression of  terror  which  the  first  appearance  to  the  com- 


188 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION, 


pany  made  upon  it,  the  conviction  of  the  reality  of  Je- 
sus’ resurrection  did  take  deep  and  permanent  root  in 
the  mind.  A living  faith  in  it  was  an  actuating  and 
impelling  power  of  the  preaching,  the  substance  of  which 
was  it,  and  its  kindred  fact  Jesus  died.”  This  preach- 
ing was  the  foundation  of  theChurch’s  faith  and  life,  the 
starting  point  of  its  worship,  and  also  of  its  peculiar 
forms,  and  the  source  of  strength  and  joy  for  service 
and  suffering.  And  how  could  this  faith  have  become 
the  power  it  then  was,  and  has  been  ever  since,  except  that 
it  reposed  upon  an  objective  and  historical  fact?  You  say, 
no  one  saw  the  act  of  reanimation  and  resurrection.  True. 
The  narratives  do  not  affirm  that  any  one  did.  It  was 
the  Body  after  it  had  come  forth  alive  from  the  tomb 
that  people  saw.  You  say,  the  statement,  ‘^the  Body  broke 
through  the  rocky  sepulchre  and  came  forth  alive”,  is  too 
stupendous  a demand  upon  our  faith.  I reply,  the  break- 
ing through  the  despair  and  disbelief  of  the  disciples 
Vvas  a still  more  stupendous  fact,  and  a thing  still  more 
difficult  to  accomplish.  And  yet  this  was  done.  You 
say,  why  did  He  appear  to  His  friends  only,  and  not  be- 
fore the  Sanhedrim  which  had  condemned  Him?  I ans- 
wer, liad  His  rising  been  merely  the  resuscitation  of  His 
previous  life,  as  in  the  case  of  Lazarus,  He  could  have 
been  discerned  by  any  cognizant  of  that  life.  But  it 
was  a resurrection  in  the  true  and  proper  meaning  of 
that  term,  a manifestation  of  glorified  humanity,  of  a 
Body  completely  filled  and  pervaded  by  the  Spirit. 
Hence  it  could  be  discerned  only  by  snch  as  were  spirit- 
ual. To  such,  who  had  known  Him  before  must  He  ap 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


189 


pear  in  order  that  His  identity  might  be  clearly  and 
fully  recognized,  and  thus  the  fact  of  resurrection  be 
tully  made  known.  But  unbelievers  being  unspiritual 
could  not  have  seen  Him  even  had  He  appeared  in  their 
midst.  Besides,  had  it  been  possible  for  Him  to  have  been 
seen  by  such  the  sight  could  only  have  convinced  them  of 
the  mere  fact.  But  since  the  sight  developed,  as  in  the  case 
of  Thomas,  an  already  existing  faith  which  it  could 
not  create,  the  mere  conviction  of  the  fact  of  resurrection 
could  not  have  brought  faith  in  Him  as  the  Son,  and 
as  the  Christ,  of  God.  Hence  an  appearance  to  unbelievers 
would  have  been  useless.  ‘^They  have,”  and  this  is  Je- 
sus’ answer  to  the  question,  ‘^Moses  and  the  prophets; 
let  them  hear  them.  If  they  will  not  hear  them,  nei- 
ther will  they  be  persuaded  though  one  arose  from  the 
dead  ” (Luke.  xvi.  29,  31). 

Study  the  condition  of  mind  of  Jesus’ company.  His 
arrest  was  a terrible  blow  to  mind  and  heart.  Worn  out 
with  the  sickness  of  hope  deferred,  darkened  by  the 
shadow  on  the  Lord,  weighed  down  by  the  apprehen- 
sions of  some  appalling,  impending  stroke,  distracted  by 
the  suggestions  of  distrust  and  doubt,  they  saw  Him 
betrayed  by  one  of  their  own  number  and  arrested  by 
the  officers  of  law.  Then  terror  crushed  out  all  faith 
and  courage.  Peter,  who  had  boldly  confessed,  John, 
who  tenderly  loved  Him,  Thomas,  who  was  ready  to  die 
with  Him,  Nathaniel,  the  guileless,  and  all  the  rest, — 
men  who  had  seen  His  mighty  works,  had  heard  His 
mighty  words,  had  drunk  in  life  and  joy  from  His  lips 
— all  forsook  Him  and  lied!  The  rude,  heavy  stroke  of 


190 


THE  HOLY  REStJRRECTION. 


death  had  shaken  to  pieces  all  repose,  resolve,  constancy, 
and  balance  of  mind.  Jesus  siezed,  soon  became  Jesus 
judged,  abused,  beaten,  condemned,  crucified,  the  seem- 
ingly helpless  victim  reviled  and  execrated.  There  was 
no  tendency,  in  all  this,  nor  in  anything  in  the  occurren- 
ces of  that  night  and  day  of  horrors,  save  Jesus’  own  de- 
portment and  words,  to  steady  their  nerves,  restore  their 
presence  of  mind,  lift  them  out  of  their  profound  de- 
jection, much  less  to  give  wings  to  joyful  faith.  With  His 
death  and  burial  came  utter  despair.  Bitter  disappoint- 
ment must  have  been  mingled  with  their  profound  sor- 
row. THEEE  WAS  A GAP  IN  THE  CONNEC- 
TION OF  THEIE  FAITH  IN  JESUS,  AS  A LIV- 
ING PEESENCE  AND  POWEE,  AND  AS  THE 
SON  OF  GOD  WHICH  EESUEEECTION  ALONE 
COULD  FILL.  It  is  contrary  to  all  the  laws  of 
thinking  to  suppose  that  in  such  a condition  of  mind 
the  idea  of  resurrection  would  occur  to  them.  And 
every  fact  sliows  that  it  did  not.  The  utmost  that  the 
empty  tomb  did  was  the  convincing  of  Peter  and  John, 
(and  also  Mary  Magdalene)  that  the  Body  was  gone. 
And  the  words  of  Clophas  and  his  companion  ^^we 
trusted  that  it  had  been  He  which  would  have  redeemed 
Israel,”  expressed  the  conviction  of  the  whole  company. 
Their  hopes  of  redemption  by  Him  were  a thing  of  the 
past,  a matter  gone  by.  The  fabric  was  shattered  to 
dust. 

From  the  depth  of  despair,  they  passed  at  a bound 
to  the  height  of  joy,  and  to  that  confidence  and  boldness 
so  conspicnous  in  their  lives  and  preaching.  This  was 


tnli}  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


191 


caused,  tliey  said,  by  Jesus’  re -appearances.  Each  appear- 
ance and  its  teaching  gave  an  increase  in  knowledge  and 
faith,  and  each  advance  in  faith  gave  fresh  conviction. 
Now  it  is  psychologically  impossible  for  perpetrators  of 
a fraud  to  have  wrought  such  a change  in  themselves. 
They  must  first  reanimate  all  their  own  dead  hopes. 
Then  they  must  come  together  and  deliberately  form  a 
falsehood  stupendous  in  character.  Then  to  carry  it 
out  successfully  would  require  coolness  of  mind,  pre- 
cision ot  purpose,  power  of  invention  to  construct  and 
of  will  to  acoomplish,  and  a unity  of  thought,  of  pur- 
pose, and  of  affection  to  each  other,  and  to  the  lie,  which 
would  hold  them  together  under  all  possible  circum- 
stances, A combination  this,  of  mental  and  moral  char- 
acteristics which  ordinary  minds  do  not  possess.  Ma- 
cauley,  the  historian,  in  commenting  upon  the  subtle 
conspiracies  against  the  life  of  William  III,  remarks, 
that  while  a conspiracy  is  confined  to  one  mind  it  may 
not  become  known,  but  that  it  is  impossible  for  a com- 
pany of  conspirators  to  hold  together  long  without  some 
one  of  them  making  the  crime  known.  And  this,  though 
bound  to  each  other  by  most  solemn  oaths.  But  these 
men  held  together,  a compact  unyeilding,  influential 
body.  Within  fifty  days  of  that  date  they  preached  in 
that  city  that  Jesus  had  arisen  from  the  dead.  Kings 
and  Councils  could  not  alter  their  conviction  on  this 
point.  Suffering,  privation,  the  fear  of  persecution,  the 
prospect  of  death  could  not  hinder  them  from  preach- 
ing it. 

And  the  whole  change  in  most  of  them  was  wrought 


192 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


within  fifteen  hours.  That  was  a day  of  sudden  revolution 
of  feelings.  In  the  morning  profound  sorrow  bowed  down 
women  and  men  alike.  In  the  evening  all  was  joy.  Idle 
tales  were  found  true.  Hopes  all  dead  suddenly  sprang 
up  full  of  life.  In  the  morning,  faith  in  Jesus  as  Mes- 
siah was  all  gone,  and  the  future  impenetrably  dark. 
In  the  evening  a light  burst  out  which  persecution  could 
not  quench.  It  was  a day  of  fragmentary  and  appar- 
ently discordant  testimonies,  a seeing,  and  running  and 
telling,  each  saying  what  he  had  seen,  or  heard.  There 
is  no  day  like  it  in  history.  THE  DEAD  IS  ALIYE! 
The  Body,  once  bound,  and  pierced,  was  now  before 
them  with  the  marks  of  crucifixion  upon  it.  The  grave 
had  seemed  an  absolute  proof  that  death  was  stronger 
than  an  absolutely  holy  life.  But  its  degradation  and 
dishonor  had  been  wiped  away.  Jesus’  character,  claims 
and  words  had  received  most  ample  and  honorable  vin- 
dication. He  was  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God.  Hav- 
ing scattered  the  seeds  of  resurrection-life  in  the  prov- 
inces of  death  He  had  arisen  the  Conqueror  of  it,  and  of 
all  the  false  accusations  against  Himself,  and  had  demon- 
strated by  fact  His  words,  ‘‘1  am  the  Resurrection  and 
the  Life.”  In  this  triumphant  resurrection  the  course 
of  nature  had  received  a new  direction.  The  new  crea^ 
tion  had  begun.  Human  thought  had  been  started  in 
new  channels.  The  past  was  no  longer  a deplorable 
mistake,  but  a golden  legacy.  The  future  was  full  of 
blessing.  Suddenly  the  whole  company  of  believers  are 
conscious  of  their  vocation.  Intrepid  faith,  joyous  labor, 
holy  zeal,  consciousness  of  victory  fill  heart  and  voice. 
Forth  they  go  to  conquer  the  world  for  their  Lord. 


THE  HOLY  KESURRECTION. 


193 


And  that  gladness  still  lives.  Easter  day  is  crowned 
with  songs  and  flowers.  The  voice  of  rejoicing  is  now 
heard,  as  it  was  on  that  first  Easter  day,  in  the  taberna- 
cles of  the  righteous.  And  Christos  ho  anestee,  Christ 
is  risen^  is  the  glorious  greeting  of  Christian  friends. 

Now,  how  account  for  this  sudden,  this  amazing 
change  in  the  thinking  and  acting  of  the  disciples?  this 
powerful  conviction?  this  permanent  revolution? 
It  could  not  possibly  have  been  accomplished  by  any  in- 
ternal process.  There  was  nothing  in  the  popular  be- 
liefs, nor  in  the  Grecian  or  Roman  thinking,*  nor  in 
current  interpretation  of  the  prophecies  which  could  be- 
get the  idea  of  an  actual  resurrection. | Shall  we  with 
J\[attliew  Arnold J deny  the  fact,  and  account  for  the  be- 
lief of  the  disciples  by  saying  that  what  they  call  an 
understanding,  was  a mmmderstanding  of  Jesus’  words 
(in  Luke  xviii,  31-34:.;  John  ii,  22,)  about  His  res- 
urrection? True,  His  words  made  upon  them  a pro- 
found impression.  Though  understood  not  when  spoken, 
(Luke  xviii,  34)  they  were  not  forgotten.  True,  after 
the  events  had  occurred  they  recalled  His  words  (John 
ii,  22,  xii,  16.)  But  it  is  also  true  that  before  His  death 
they  questioned  with  themselves  what  the  rising  from 
the  dead  should  mean  (Mark,  ix.  10),  and  that  even  after, 
some  of  them  had  seen  tlie  empty  grave  they  knew  not 
the  Scriptures  that  He  must  rise  again  from  the  dead. 

[*When  Paul  at  Athens  preached  the  resurrection,  he  and  his 
subject  were  objects  of  ridicule,  and  Festus  called  Jesus’  resurrec- 
tion a superstition.  See  Acts  xTiii.  32,  xxv.  19.  also  xxvi.  24.] 
[fSee  Matt.  xvd.  21-23;  John  ii.  22.] 

\XOod  and  the  Bible.  Eng.  Ed.  page  263.] 


194 


THB  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


(John,  XX,  9.)  The  empty  grave  will  not  convince  them 
of  the  fact,  and  if  so,  surely  by  no  mental  processes 
could  they  work  up  in  their  own  minds  a belief  of  the 
idea  as  actualized.  They  could  not  see  how  re»urrection 
could  be,  and  hence  could  not  think  it  out  as  a fact. 
They  did  not  look  at  the  fact  in  the  light  of  Jesus’  say- 
ings, but  they  looked  at  the  sayings  in  the  light  of  the 
fact.  The  fact  solved  the  mysteries  that  were  in  His 
words.  The  fact  poured  a flood  of  light  upon  all  His 
teachings,  and  upon  all  the  Scripture.  It  was  the  key 
which  fitted  all  His  words,  unlocked  the  meaning  of  His 
instructions,  and  opened  to  their  view  the  great  truths 
concerning  Himself  which  prophecy  and  promise  had 
announced.  How  then  could  these  things  either  mis- 
understood, or  not  understood  at  all  before,  be  the  foun- 
dation on  which  to  erect  an  imaginary  fact— if  such  a 
phrase  is  allowable?  Words  that  He  spake  had  led  many 
to  abandon  Him.  (John  vii).  But  not  one  who  saw  Him 
alive  after  death  ever  wavered  for  a moment  in  their 
attachment  to  Him  and  His  cause. 

Shall  we  say  that  this  belief  was  formed  by  a vision,  ner- 
vous convulsions,  phantoms  of  the  disordered  imagina- 
tion of  hysterical  women,  and  weak-minded,  weak-nerved 
men?  Was  it  the  result  of  Renan’s ‘^sacred  moments 
when  the  passion  of  a hallucinated  woman  gave  the 
world  a resurrected  God?”  Christian  thought  started 
by  an  apparition!  Christian  society  organized  by  self- 
deception!  The  Church  founded  upon  a falsehood!  The 
regeneration  of  the  world  eflEected  by  a fraud!  Call  this 
rational  if  you  will,  but  do  not  suppose  that  it  ever  can 


THE  HOLY  I^EStJRREOtlON.  195 

stand  before  the  judgment  seat  of  conscience,  or  of  his- 
tory. No,  This  was  a new  belief  in  the  world,  and  it 
could  not  have  originated  except  in  a new  fact  external 
to  man,  and  supported  by  the  most  indubitable,  experi- 
mental evidence.  The  fact,  further,  must  have  been 
clear  enough  to  remove  the  last  shade  of  doubt  from  the 
thinking,  and  powerful  enough  to  start  men  upon  a new, 
most  unexpected  and  most  difficult  career.  And  an  out- 
ward fact  meeting  all  these  conditions  must  have  been 
manifested.  For,  only  thus  can  the  sudden  change  in 
the  apostles  be  explained.  And  surely  if  ever  the  foun- 
tains of  human  life  bubbled  up  and  sent  forth  the  streams 
of  deep  inward  conviction,  it  was  on  that  eventful  night 
when  Jesus  stood  in  their  midst  alive  from  the  dead. 
And  this  grand  subjective  revolution  in  the  soul  and 
life  of  the  helpless  band  which  could  only  rest  upon  the 
objective  revelation,  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord,  at- 
tested and  glorified  itself,  by  this  thorough  change,  as  a 
divine  fact.  So  also  did  the  change  effected  in  the  cross, 
whereby  what  had  been  a sign  of  the  deepest  disgrace 
became  a sign  of  the  highest  honor. 

So  conclusive  was  the  testimony  that  all  the  disciples 
believed  it,  that  Paul  was  changed  by  it  from  a relentless 
enemy  into  a life-long  and  ardent  friend;  and  that  the 
whole  face  of  history  was  permanently  changed  by  it. 
Always  and  everywhere,  in  all  their  addresses  and  in 
all  tlieir  letters  the  apostles  give  special  prominence  to 
the  fact.  It  was  the  key  note  of  all  their  preaching.  At 
Pentecost  Peter  affirmed,  ‘‘This  Jesus  hath  God  raised 
up,  whereof  we  are  witnesses.’’  To  the  crowd  in  Sol- 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


i.96 

onion’s  porcli  greatly  wondering  at  the  miracle  wrought 
upon  the  lame  ra?m  at  the  gate  ^^Beautiful,”  he  declared 
that  it  was  the  name  of  Jesus,  whom  God  had  jaised 
from  the  dead,  and  through  faitli  in  Ilis  name  as  Risen, 
that  the  man  had  been  made  whole.  To  the  Council 
who  were  grieved  that  they  preached  through  Jesus  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  had  arrested  him  and  John, 
and  demanded  of  them  to  tell  by  what  power  and  name 
they  had  wrought  a miracle  on  the  lame  man,  Peter  ans- 
wered: ^^By  the  name  of  J esus,  whom  ye  crucified,  whom 
God  raised  from  the  dead.”  When  broimht  ai^ain  a few 
days  after  before  the  Council,  and  charged  with  having 
anew  preached  a Risen  Christ  in  the  city,  they  all  ans- 
wered, ^^ye  slew  Jesus;  but  God  raised  Him  up,  and  ex- 
alted Him  with  His  right  hand  a Prince  and  a Saviour.” 
To  Cornelius  and  the  company  assembled  in  his  house 
at  Caeserea  Peter  declared,  ‘^that  Jesus  whom  they  slew, 
God  raised  up,  and  showed  openly  to  chosen  witnesses.” 
At  Antioch  Paul  declared  that  God  had  fulfilled  the 
promise  given  to  the  fathers  in  raising  up  Jesus  again. 
He  repeated  tlie  same  at  Athens  and  Corinth.  Every- 
where it  was  the.  same.  With  great  power  gave  the 
apostles  witness  of  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
(Acts  ii,  32;  iii,  15,  16;  iv,  10;  v,  30,  31,;  x,  39,  40; 
xiii,  58-39;  xvii,  31;  1 Cor.  xv,  19.)  What  was  declared 
by  word  of  mouth  was  penned  down  in  all  theirLetters. 
It  was  the  foundation  of  all  their  own  experience  and 
preaching.  It,  with  its  twin-truth,  ^^Christ  was  cruci- 
fied,” was  the  one  fact  which  was  constantly  brought 
forward  in  all  their  discourses,  and  in  all  their  defenses 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


197 


of  conduct.  They  zealously  announced  it  before  kings 
and  Councils,  and  told  it  to  the  people  as  the  foundation 
of  salvation  and  as  the  spring  of  joy. 

Throughout  the  apostolic  Letters  not  one  attempt  is 
made  to  establish  the  fact.*  They  ever  speak  of  it  as  a 
fact  well-known,  and  universally  received  by  the  church. 
The  sufferings  of  Jesus  and  His  resurrection  are  constantly 
mentioned  together  as  facts  of  equal  weight  and  of  equal 
validity.  And  the  profound  impression  which  the  facts 
made  upon  Paul  appears  in  his,  ^‘that  I may  know  the 
fellowship  of  His  sufferings  and,  (not  the  fact,  but)  the 
power  of  His  resurrection.”  It  was  the  great  funda- 
mental truth  in  all  his  preaching,  as  witness  his  word  on 
Mars’  hill,  to  the  sceptical,  philosophical  Athenians,  and 
also  his  word  to  the  practical  and  worldly-wise  king 
Agrippa,  at  Csesarea.  So  would  he  have  it  as  a funda- 
mental fact  in  his  experience  :^^that  I may  know  the  pow- 
er of  His  resurrection.”  Know  it  in  its  fulness,  sweep, 
and  significance.  Know  it  as  the  mighty  inspiration  of 
every  thought.  Know  it  in  its  transforming  power  up- 
on the  character.  Know  it  in  all  its  blessedness  and 
felt  elevation,  in  every  hour  of  life  and  in  the  agony  of 
death.  And  this  power  he  felt.  The  fact  and  its  con- 
sequences placed  him,  in  a certain  sense,  on  the  immor- 
tal  side  of  death.  It  peopled  his  heart  with  aspirations 
after  a glory  and  immortality  assured  and  unspeakably 
desirable.  It  urged  him  onward  in  that  unparalleled 

[*1  Co.r.  XV,  is  no  exception.  In  it  Paul  reiterates  what  he  had 
constantly  preached,  and  shows  that  Jesus’  resurrection  is  the  foun- 
dation of  the  resurrection  of  believers.] 


198 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


career  which  blazed  like  the  sun  carrying  life  and  joy  to 
multitudes.  And  in  his  profound  experimental  acquain- 
tance with  these  facts,  the  other  disciples  and  early  con- 
verts shared.  The  fact  of  Jesus’  triumph  over  death 
and  session  on  the  Father’s  throne  filled  them  with  the 
most  exalted  conceptions  of  His  character.  Resurrection 
not  only  wrought  conviction,  and  opened  truth,  shed  a 
fiood  of  light  on  the  prophetic  Scriptures  and  upon  Jesus’ 
teaching,  recalled,  and  made  plain  sayings  of  His  which 
had  been  hitherto  not  understood,^  but  it  also  was  the 
Divine  solution  of  all  their  difficulties,  and  the  Divine 
remedy  for  all  their  sorrows.  Its  mighty  power  was 
manifested  throughout  their  whole  career.  While  Je- 
sus was  yet  with  them”  many  finally  abandoned  Him 
and  His  career.  On  the  night  of  His  death,  all,  even 
the  most  faithful,  steadfast  and  heroic  had  forsaken  Him 
and  fied.  But  resurrection  recalled  all  these  last,  and 
bound  them  to  Him  forever.  It  animated  them  with  new 
motives.  It  gave  a firm  ground  for  an  intelligent  faith  to 
rest  upon,  and  assured  them  of  success  in  their  mission. 
It  made  their  lives  sublime,  and  threw  over  them  a halo 
of  glory  which  no  persecution  could  obscure,  and  death 
itself  could  not  dim.  And  as  they  went  forth  with  all 
the  glorious  greetings  of  Easter  morning,  and  told  the 
world  of  the  Conqueror  over  death.  Who  had  demon- 
strated by  fact  that  He  ‘^was  the  Resurrection  and  the 
Life,”  the  whole  face  of  history  was  permanently  changed. 
And  so  profoundly  have  they  wrought,  by  the  Spirit,  this 
conviction  into  the  heart  of  liumanity,  that  sword,  sci- 


[*See,  for  example,  Luke  xviii,  31-34;  John  ii,  ^2;  xii,  16,  &cj 


THE  HOLT  RESURRECTION.  199 

ence,  skeptical  criticism  and  every  form  of  attack  have 
in  vain  tried  during  1900  years  to  cast  it  to  the  ground. 
No  weapon  formed  against  it  has  prospered.  No  power 
has  been  able  to  loosen  its  hold  upon  the  intellect  and 
heart  of  man. 

If  all  this  testimony  to  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  is 
worth  nothing,  no  testimony  is  worth  anything.  Its  en- 
ormous weight  must  crush  every  attempt  to  deny  the 
fact.  In  vain  scepticism  here  concentrates  and  consum- 
mates itself,  working  to  reduce  the  fact  to  a myth,  or  to 
the  bare  idea  and  symbolism  of  life.  For  here,  life  is  in  its 
highest  energy.  And  to  say  that  this  is  death,  or  a lie, 
is  a supposition  too  monstrous  for  belief.  “The  false- 
hood of  all  this  testimony  would  be  more  miraculous 
than  the  event  which  it  relates.”  We  close  this  part  of 
the  argument  with  a remark  from  Heinrich  Ewald, a writer 
whose  sympathies  for  orthodoxy  were  certainly  not 
strong,  and  whose  critical  power  and  profound  scholar- 
ship none  will  question:  “Nothing  stands  more  histori- 
cally certain  than  that  Jesus  rose  from  the  dead,  and  ap- 
peared again  to  His  followers,  or  than  that  their  seeing 
Him  again  was  the  beginning  of  a higher  faith,  and  of 
all  their  Christian  work  in  the  world.  It  is  equally  cer- 
tain that  they  saw  Him,  not  as  a common  man,  or  as  a 
ghost  risen  from  the  grave,  but  as  the  only  Son  of  God 
— already  more  than  man  at  once  in  nature  and  power; 
and  that  all  who  thus  believed  Him,  recognized  at  once, 
and  instinctively  His  unique  Divine  dignity,  and  firmly 
believed  iu  it  henceforth.  The  Twelve  and  others  had, 
indeed,  learned  to  look  on  Hiin  even  in  life,  as  the  True 


200  THE  irOLY  RESURRECTION. 

Messianic  King,  and  the  Son  of  God,  but  from  the"  mo- 
ment of  His  re-appearing  they  recognized  more  clearly 
and  fully  the  Divine  idea  of  His  nature,  and  saw  in  Him 
the  Conqueror  of  death.  And  the  two  pictures  of  Him 
fixed  in  their  minds  were  in  their  essence  identical. 
They  knew  that  He  who  now  stood  l^efore  them  in  all 
the  glory  of  resurrection  was  the  very  same  that  they 
knew  before  His  crucifixion.’^ 

Jesus  showed  Himself  alive  by  many  infallible  proofs, 
(Acts  i,  3.)^ — ; a book  which  Holtsman,  a learned  skep- 
tic, says  must  have  appeared  by  A.  D,  80,  at  the  latest.-}* 
We  may  further  remark  that  all  critics  agree  that  the 
Epistles  to  the  Romans  and  Corinthians  were  written  by 
Paul,  and  some  time  between  the  winter  of  A.  D.  68-59 
to  the  spring  of  A.  D.  59-60.  The  first  great  persecu- 
tion began  A.  D.  64.  By  evidencas  of  which  the  sen- 
ses could  take  cognizance,  and  that  of  the  most  satis- 
factory kind,  J esus  convinced  His  disciples  (a)  tliat  lie 
was  not  a spirit  or  shadow,  but  a genuine  Man,  (b)  a 
Risen  Man,  (c)  and  that  this  Man  was  one  and  the  same 
Man  that  they  had  been  associated  with  during  the  three 
proceeding  years.  Of  these  facts  they  had  not,  could  not 
have  the  slightest  possible  doubt.  Hor  can  any  one 
who  accepts  their  testimony.  And  were  the  fact  of  res- 

[*Zcller,  one  of  the  latest  rationalistic  writers,  after  the  fullest 
investigation,  and  severest  criticism,  has  acknowledged  the  au- 
thenticity of  The  Acts,  llis  judgment  is  tliat  the  whole  book  is 
the  work  of  one  and  the  s nne  author,  that  this  same  author  wrote 
the  third  Gospel,  and  that  this  author  vras  Luke,  Paul's  companion 
in  travel.  (Apostel  Gesc.\ecte  psige  387,  414,  516.)] 

[fSchenkel’s  Diet,  Bib.  Art.  Act%  of  the  Apostles.} 


THE  HOLY  KESUHKECTIOX. 


201 


tirrection  an  isolated  one,  and  were  it  not  fartli3r,  that 
tlie  most  tremendous  consec[uences  are  iovol /cd  in  and 
proceed  from  it,  it  would  probaldy  be  received  unreserved-* 
ly  and  universally,  and  be  then  re-legated  to  the  region  of 
those  phenomenal  incidents  wliich  amaze  for  a while,  but 
are  uninfluential  in  human  affairs. 

But  it  was  immeasureably  more  than  an  extraordinary 
occurrence.  After  the  appearances  on  tlie  first  day,  and 
the  one  to  Thomas  on  the  eighth  day,  Jesus  did  not 
(so  far  as  the  narratives  show)  any  more  attempt  to  de- 
monstrate Ilis  actual  bodily  presence  with  them  and  in 
the  same  Body,  now  spiritual,  that  He  previously  poss- 
essed, than  He  had  during  His  life  before  death  attempted 
to  prove  His  actual  presence.  It  was  a fact  which  He 
took  for  granted  that  they  recognized.  All  the  other  ap- 
pearances had,  and  so  had  these,  something  immensely 
higher^  in  view  than  the  mere  convincing  of  men  that  He 
had  actually  come  forth  alive  from  the  tomb.  This  we  have 
already  seen.  In  one  aspect  a result  from  the  processes 
of  nature,  the  fact  in  another  aspect  was  wholly  outside 


[♦That  the  reader  may  examine  this  point  we  give  the  places.  Matt, 
mentions  two  appearances,  one  in  Jerus  Jem.  morning  of  ilie  res- 
urrection, one  in  Galilee  many  days  after  (xxvii:,  9,  10,  16,  17). 
Mark  speaks  of  three,  all  on  the  day  of  the  rising  (xvi,  9,  12,  14.) 
Luke  mentions  five,  three  on  the  day  of  the  rising, and  two  on  the  day 
of  the  Ascension  (xxiv,13,34,  36, 50, 51 ; Acts  i,  4-9.  John  mentions 
four  (xx,  15,  19,  26;  xxi,  1,)  Paul  mentions  five,  (1  Cor.  xv,  5-8), 
some  of  which  are  mentioned  by  one,  some  by  two  or  more  of  the 
Evangelists,  and  one  (that  to  James)  told  by  no  other.  And  His 
statement,  “in  Him  dwelleth  all  the  fullness  of  the  Godhead  bod- 
ily,” i.  e.  capable,  because  possessed  of  a Body,  of  manifesting 
Himself  in  a bodily  form  (Col.  ii,  9.)  was  based  upon  His  own 
flight  of  Him  in  His  glorified  Body.] 


202 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION, 


of  those  processes.  No  human  agent  and  no  natural 
force  had  any  hand  in  its  production.  But  it  is  not 
more  a stupendous  than  it  is  a potential  fact.  It  is  its 
vast  consequences  that  make  it  so  significant.  All  the 
results  of  Jesus’  mission  are  wrapped  up  in  it.  The  vital 
evidence  of  His  Sonship  and  Messiahship  comes  from  it. 
Of  these  things  ‘‘the  words  that  I speak”  said  He  before 
His  death,  “are  proof:  and  the  works  that  Ido  bear  wit- 
ness of  Me.  But  the  only  signs  that  shall  be  given  to  an 
evil  and  a sign-seeking  generation  as  the  final  attestation 
of  these  claims,  is  the  sign  of  J onah,  the  prophet.  For 
as  he  was  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  whale’s  belly, 
so  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  three  days  and  three  nights 
in  the  heart  of  the  earth.  Destroy  this  temple  of  My 
Body,  and  in  three  days  1 will  raise  it  up.  Having  the 
power  to  do  both  I lay  down  My  life  that  I may  take 
it  again  ” (Matt,  xii,  39,  40;  John  ii,  19;  x,  16,  17,) 
The  previous  resurrections  were  more  properly  tem- 
porary restorations  to  the  life  before  death,  with  its  lim- 
itations, sorrows  and  close.  The  raised  ones  died  again. 
But  Jesus’  resurrection  was  the  revelation  of  a new  life, 
one  free  from  earthly  limitations,  and  which  could  not  be 
subject  to  death.  ‘^Death  could  have  no  more  dominion 
over  Him.”  He  came  forth  from  the  tomb  an  eternal 
Man,  with  a manhood  perfected,  with  a Body  which  shared 
completely  in  the  totality  of  the  marvellous  fulness  of 
The  Spirit.  Its  identity  was  the  same,  but  yet  it  had  un- 
dergone  an  extraordinary  change.  Along  with  natural- 
ness (shown  in  a series  of  simple  and  homely  facts),  its 
supernatural  features  were  constantly  manifested.  It 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


203 


was  a spiritual  Body,  powerful,  glorious  and  free  from 
the  limitations  by  which  it  had  before  been  fettered. 
And  yet  it  was  able  to  enter  into  those  limitations.  It 
ate  fish  and  honey,  and  was  nourished  no  one  knew  when 
or  how.  It  made  itself  known,  was  visibly,  tangibly 
present,  yet  instantly  disappeared  in  invisibility.  It 
moved  invisibly  from  place  to  place;  was  now  here,  now 
there;  came,  no  one  knew  whence,  staid,  no  one  knew 
where,  went,  no  one  knew  whither.  It  entered  into,  and 
departed  from  a house  without  audible  step,  and  with- 
out passing  through  an  opening.  It  was  seen  standing 
on  a shore,  yet  without  injuring  the  law  of  gravitation 
rose  above  the  clouds.  These  facts  show  that  it  pos- 
sessed at  the  same  time  the  qualities  and  attributes  of 
both  the  natural  and  the  supernatural  body,  i.e.  of  one, 
the  life-principle  of  which  is  The  Spirit  (1  Cor.  xv) 
a Body  tlirough  which  Jesus  first  breathed  upon,  after- 
wards slied  down  upon,  the  disciples  The  Spirit. 

The  writers  in  giving  these  facts  are  well  aware  of 
their  seeming  contradictoriness.  In  His  ‘^while  I was 
yet  with  you,”  they  give  Jesus  statement  of  them.  They 
are  wholly  unique.  They  could  belong  only  to  a tran- 
sition period,  one  in  which  the  Body  while  undergoing 
a process  of  transformation,  belonged  in  some  respects 
to  the  present,  and  in  other  respects  to  a higher  order  of 
things.  Such  a Body  could  not  permanently  stay  on 
earth.  But  did  the  Conqueror  of  death  and  the  grave 
depart  in  the  ordinary  way  His  character  and  cause 
would  thereby  be  destroyed.  But  death  could  not  touch 
Him  who  had  arisen  in  the  power  of  an  endless  life. 


204 


THE  HOLY  KESUERECTION. 


Ascension  must  be  the  consequence,  completion  and 
crown  of  His  work.  It  must  be  His  glorification,  as 
Resurrection  had  been  His  transformation.  It  too,  He 
had  declared,  was  the  contingent  fact  upon  which  de- 
pended the  coming  down  of  The  Spirit  and  the  applica- 
tion of  all  the  benefits  of  H is  redemption  to  man  and 
to  the  cosmos.  And  having  accomplished  all  that  be- 
longed to  this  transition  period  He  left  earth  by  a vis- 
ible ascension.  Without  effort,  and  by  His  own  inher- 
ent energy  He  rose  up  slowly  and  majestically  until  a 
cloud  received  Him  out  of  sight.  When  next  seen  by 
man  He  was  in  Heaven  in  His  sooma  j^neumatikon^  and 
standing  by  the  right  hand  of  God. 

These  facts  are  wholly  beyond  our  experience.  They 
are  supernatural.  They  are  astounding.  The  honest, 
thoughtful  mind  stops  before  them,  pressed  with  diffi- 
culties, troubled  with  doubts.  Man’s  testimony  is  suf- 
ficient to  establish  the  bare  fact  of  resurrection.  For  of 
this  the  senses  could  take  cognizance.  But  the  poten- 
tial facts — the  ground,  the  cause,  the  reasons  for  the  re- 
vivification and  resurrection  of  the  Body,  and  its  resurrec- 
tion-character— were  beyond  the  reach  of  the  senses,  and 
so  of  human  testimony.  They  are  designed  to  reach  the 
consciousness,  so  must  be  supported  by  that  kind  of  tes- 
timony which  will  produce  in  it  the  conviction  of  their 
reality,  and  displace  doubt  by  that  intelligent  faith  which 
it  was  designed  to  beget.  They  are  supernatural  facts, 
so  could  be  supported  only  by  supernatural  testimony. 
To  hazard  eternity  on  any  less  stable  foundations  would 
be  the  height  ot  folly.  To  accept  less  would  be  un- 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  206 

scientific  and  illogical,  and  could  lead  only  to  credulity. 
But  this  is  mental  and  moral  degradation.  All  this  Je- 
sus recognized.  He  was  too  noble,  too  holy,  too  regard- 
ful of  man  to  make  any  such  a demand.  He  placed  the 
ground  of  confidence  in  these  supernatural  facts  on  an  in- 
finitely stronger  foundation.  He  proved  them  by  the 
infallible  testimony  of  the  living  God.  This  was  the 
strong  first  testimony  as  to  the  facts  which  He  gave  after 
His  resurrection,  (i.e,  after  His  first  appearances,)  and  He 
gave  this  proof  before  He  made  Himself  personally 
known.  Given  first  to  the  two  on  their  way  to  Emmaus, 
and  subsequently  to  the  whole  company,  it  must  be  of  the 
supremest  importance.  To  it  we  turn: 

The  facts  must  occur,  said  He,  (a)  from  the  necessity 
of  the  case,  and  (b)  because  they  were  fore-announced  in 
the  Scriptures.  ‘‘Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  must  (edei) 
the  (toon)  Christ  suffer,  and  rise  from  the  dead  the  third 
day.”  The  resurrection  in  the  particular  way  in  which, 
and  the  particular  ends  for  which  it  occurred  must  be. 
This  verb,  edei  (an  impersonal  one)  signifies  in  the  Greek 
classics  “it  needs,”  “there  is  need  of,”  “it  is  binding  on 
one.”  This  also  is  its  constant  meaning  in  the  New 
Testament.  It  designates  that  which  for  some  inevitable 
reason, — the  circumstances  of  the  case,  the  fitness  of 
things,  the  rightness  of  the  thing  itself,  or  the  appoint- 
ment of  God — must  occur  (John  iii,  30;  iv,  4;  Matt,  xxvii, 
10;  Heb.  ix,  29;  1 Cor.  xv,  29;  Acts  ix,  16;  xiv,  62,  &c.). 
It  expresses  the  unavoidable  in  the  nature  of  things,  the 
inevitable.  This  necessity  was  upon  Jesus  from  the 
first,  and  He  felt  its  pressure.  “I  must  be  about  My 


206 


THE  HOLY  REStTRHEOTIOiT. 


Father’s  business,”  must  preach  the  Kingdom  of 
God.”  must  work.”  must  work  the  works  of 
Him  that  sent  Me,  to-day.”  In  speaking  of  His  coming 
sorrows  He  also  declared  this  necessity,  the  whafc  to  Him 
was  inevitable.  ^‘The  Son  of  Man  must  go  up  to  Jer- 
usalem,” ‘^must  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  men,” 
•^must  go  as  it  is  written  of  Him,”  ^^must  be  lifted  up,” 
and  ‘‘this  that  is  written  of  Me,‘He  was  reckoned  among 
the  transgressors,’  must  be  accomplished.”  He  further 
said  that  this  inevitable  must  be  followed  by  another  in- 
evitable: “He  must  suffer  and  die,  and  must  be  raised 
again  the  third  day.”  This  full  announcement  was  so 
well  known  that  His  enemies  attempted  to  prevent  it 
— as  if  they  could  arrest  the  inevitable.  And  after 
this  “must”  was  fulfilled,  this  fact  was  pointed  out  by 
an  angel,  and  emphasized  by  the  Risen  Lord  (Matt. 
XV,  21;  Mark  viii,  33;  Luke  ii,  59;  v,  43;  ix,  22;  John 
iii,  14;  xii,  34;  Matt,  xxvii®  63;  Luke  xxiv,  7,  26,  44, 
46;  John  xx,  6.  See  also  in  Acts  iii,  21;  xvii,  5;  1 Cor. 
XV,  25,  53;  2 Cor.  v,  10  &c.). 

The  “must  of  the  work”  and  the  “must  of  the  suffer” 
v^ere  not  a physical,  but  a legal  and  a moral  necessity.  But 
in  the  “must  rise  again”  there  were,  strictly  speaking,  two 
necessities:  one  growing  out  of  the  nature  of  things,  and 
this  was  a natural,  and  the  other  growing  out  of  the  ‘‘thus 
it  is  written,”  and  this  was  a moral,  or  supernatural 
necessity. 

The  resurrection  was  inevitable  from  the  operation  of 
natural  law.  The  inorganic  is  not  vital.  The  spirit  is 
not  mortal.  Death  is  restricted  to  the  region  between 


THE  HOLY  EESHRREOTION. 


207 


the  two  worlds.  The  plant  lives  in  the  root  and  seed. 
Hence  its  death  is  almost  only  an  appearance  of  dying. 
The  animal  lives  only  in  the  general  life  of  nature.  Hence 
it  has  no  full  individual  life  to  resign,  and  its  dying, 
though  awful  and  repulsive  to  it,  is  really  no  complete 
death.  Actual  death  begins  with  conscious  man,  and  is 
so  far  as  we  know,  to  cease  with  him,  and  to  be  trans- 
formed into  new  and  conscious  life.  From  Gen.  iii  and 
especially  from  what  is  said  of  the  Tree  of  Life  in  the 
Garden,  we  see  that  man,  as  created,  was  not  to  die 
but  to  undergo  a transition  from  the  natural  to  the 
spiritual  state  by  a change  corresponding  to  that  spoken 
of  1 Cor,  XV,  51;  2 Cor.  v,  4,  and  which  was  typed  in 
the  translation  of  Enoch  and  Elijah.  But  becoming  sub- 
ject to  the  eiffects  of  moral  death,  this  transformation 
passed  over  into  corruption  and  physical  death.  The 
entire  weight  of  death  pressed  upon  man.  And  Jesus 
in  becoming  man’s  Substitute  became  his  partner  in  this 
subjection  to  death.  He,  hence,  must  die.  But  from 
the  constitution  of  His  Person,  He  must  also,  according 
to  the  laws  of  nature,  which  are  but  inevitable  sequences 
from,  or  rather  nothing  else  than  the  expression  of  the 
will  of  the  Creator,  rise  again  from  the  dead*  For  as 
by  a natural  law  ^^sin  when  it  has  arrived  at  maturity 
in  its  growth  {Greeh)  bringeth  forth — apokuei^  a verb 
which  expresses  the  necessity  of  the  result  according  to 
natural  law — death;  so,  by  the  same  law,  holiness,  when 
perfected,  must  bring  forth  life.  Jesus  was  absolutely 
free  from  sin.  He  was  perpetually  nourished  by  holi- 
ness. He  is,  in  a sense  so  real  and  exclusive  that  to  feed 


208 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION 


on  Him  is  to  live,  tlie  vital  principle  of  man.  And  tliis 
He  is,  because  (a)  He  was  sent  by,  and  (b)  He  lived  dia 
through^  and  on  the  living  Father  (John  v,  57). 
From  Him  He  drew  life,  light  and  nourishment,  incess- 
antly. He  perfectly  reproduced  on  earth,  and  in  a hu- 
man life,  the  life  of  The  Father.  He  was  God  lived  by 
a Man.  To  Him  it  was  given  to  have  life  in  Himself 
(John  V,  26.).  His  humanity  then,  must  have  been  per- 
fectly sound.  There,  hence,  conld  have  been  in  Him 
nothing  that  could  cause  death,  nothing  from,  or  of 
which  it  is  the  result.  And  hence  He  could  not  be 
naturally  subject  to  death.  It  could  not  come  to  Him 
by  the  working  of  any  natural  law  in  Himself  as  by  any 
decay  or  breakdown  of  the  powers  of  life.  If  it  touched 
Him,  it  must  come  upon  Him  by  His  own  voluntary 
permission  and  from  the  moral  necessity  of  the  position 
in  which  He  had  voluntarily  placed  Himself  as  the  Sub- 
stitute for  sinners.  He  must  fulfill  for  man,  the  law 
which  condemns  man  to  death.  Hence,  from  the  mo- 
ment when  He  accepted  that  position,  death,  because  in 
that  chain,  was  inevitable  in  the  sequences  of  events. 
In  Him  the  law,  and  so  death,  was  fulfilled,  ended,  taken 
out  of  the  way.  In  His  death  corruption  was  overcome. 
Rather,  strictly  speaking,  death  was  transformed  into 
that  transformation  unto  which  men  were  originally  de- 
signed. Hence,  there  must  be  a complete  transforma- 
tion, i,  e.  resurrection.  This  is  the  demand  of  both  natural 
and  moral  law.  His  resurrection,  then,  in  this  aspect 
of  it,  and  from  the  constitution  of  His  humanity^  was 
neither  supernatural,  nor  miraculous,  but  normal 
and  natural,  .and  necessary  in,  and  to  the  har- 


THE  HOLT  HEISUKKEOTION, 


209 

mony  of  His  character, and  was  demanded  alike  by  natural 
law,  and  by  the  attrtbntes  of  His  Humanity.  Kesurrec- 
tion,  then,  as  well  as  the  death,  must  have  been  in  the 
chain  of  events.  It  must  have  been  as  impossible  for  Him 
not  to  rise,  as  for  Him,  in  the  position  which  He  occupied, 
not  to  die.  Ordinarily  death  and  consequent  corruption 
come  from  the  action  of  the  principle  of  sin  working, 
through  one  natural  law,  in  humanity  as  sinful.  But 
from  the  constitution  of  Jesus’  Person,  and  from  the  ab- 
solute parity  and  perfect  soundness  of  His  Humanity, 
both  physically  and  morally,  it  was  not  possible  that  He 
sliould  be  holden  of  death.  (Acts  ii,  24.).  There  must, 
hence,  have  been  in  Him  those  powers  of  reaction  from 
which,when  He  was  dead,  Divine  power, working  through 
another  natural  law,  must  bring  forth  life.  And  this  is 
resurrection.  And  the  flowing  forth  of  the  blood  and  wa- 
ter from  His  wounded  side  conflrms  this  reasoning  based 
upon  the  constitution  of  His  Humanity.  For  this  fact 
sliows  that  at  the  moment  when  dissolution  begins  inor- 
dinary bodies,  that  vital  reaction  had  already  begun  in 
His  Body  which  some  hours  later  manifested  itself  in 
resurrection.* 

His  resurrection  was  also  a moral  necessity.  First, 
in  that  it  and  ascension  were  indissolubly  linked  to- 
gether as  integral  parts  of  the  life  of  Jesus.  They  were 
ones  of  a series  of  the  facts  which  constitute  the  subject- 
matter  of  redemption,  and  which,  beginning  in  the  eter- 
nal purpose,  and  going  on  through  the  life,  death,  res- 
urrection and  ascension,  intercession,  and  coming  again, 


The  Holy  Death,  pages,  227,  241.] 


210 


THB  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


must  continue  to  be  in  full  operation  until  He  shall  have 
finished  His  whole  work,  and  shall  have  delivered  up  the 
Kingdom  to  the  Father.  Let  one  link  be  missing  and 
the  chain  of  events  would  be  helplessly  broken.  But 
this  cannot  be.  And  so  Resurrection  and  Ascension 
must  be,  each  in  its  own  order  and  time.  Ascension, 
in  so  far  as  it  related  to  the  power  of  Jesus,  in  Himself 
considered,  because  foretold,  promised  to  Him, and  sought 
by  Him  in  prayer,  must  be  (Ps.  Ixviii,  18;  Heb.  xii, 
3;  John  vi,  62;  xviii,  3.)  It  was  vitally  connected  with 
His  dignity  and  work  as  Man,  was  the  only  befitting 
consummation  of  His  whole  earthly  life,  was  the  last 
of  Him  seen  by  man,  and  was  the  attestation  of  His 
word,  came  from  God,  and  I go  to  God.’’  It  was 
further  His  elevation  in  His  character  as  the  Son  of 
Man  to  ^‘the  form  of  God,”  that  divine  condition  which 
He  had  from  eternity,  and  of  which  He  emptied  Him- 
self when  He  became  Man.  By  and  in  it  He  returns 
as  the  perfected  Fruit  of  this  life’s  development  to  the 
Father,  from  whom  He,  under  the  impulse  of  love  had 
come  as  the  Eternal  Word.  And  it  must  also  be  be- 
cause of  His  relation  to  man.  Ascension  in  Him  per- 
fects God’s  design  in  regard  to  humanity.  He  ascended 
carrying  our  humanity,  redeemed,  purified,  exalted,  to 
the  Father’s  right  hand.  But  He  left  behind  a company, 
the  germ  of  a new  world.  God’s  eternal  plan,  with  a 
view  to  which  He  had  created  the  world,  was,  in  it  to 
form  of  believers  a family  like  to  His  Son,  the  Pattern 
and  Prototype  of  the  race.  As  vegetables  and  animals 
are  the  unconscious  organs  of  the  life  which  He  (the 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


211 


Creator)  gives  to  nature,  so  this  family  were  to  be  the 
intelligent  organs  of  the  holy  life  of  the  Creator  as  the 
Personal  God.  In  giving  reality  to  this  plan,  the  Crea- 
tor must  accomplish  it,  first  in  the  resurrection  and  as- 
cension of  His  Son,  as  the  Son  of  Man ; and  secondly,  in 
making  this  family,  actual  partakers  of  Him  (Eph* 
ii,  6 ; i,  ii ; Heb.  ii,  10).  This,  which  began  on  Pen- 
tecost, must  continue  to  Parousia.  Then  the  Son  showed 
that  He  had  lawfully  obtained  sovereignty  over  the  earth 
— a fact  which  has  ever  since  been  apparent  in  the  ever 
enlarging  of  His  family.  And  when  the  nations  of  earth, 
like  the  cities  of  Israel,  shall  have  been  gone  over,  and 
this  gospel  shall  have  been  preached  among  all  nations 
for  a witness,  then  will  this  be  completed  at  Parousia. 
Then  will  His  Kingdom  be  manifested.  Then  shall 
His  feet  stand  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives  (Zech.  xiv,  3); 
and  coming  to  Jerusalem  will  He  then  begin  the  new 
epoch  and  reign.  Hence  ascension  must  be,  and  in  or- 
der to  it,  resurrection.  And  contingent  upon  both  is 
another  series  of  facts  all  connected  with  the  formation  of 
the  Holy  Family — the  coming  of  The  Spirit,  the  forma- 
tion and  growth  of  the  church,  the  regeneration  of  sinners, 
the  sanctification  of  saints,  and  thus,  the  foundation  of 
the  family — the  present  existence  of  which  is  proof  infall- 
ible that  both  resurrection  and  ascension  have  already 
occurred. 

This  necessity  is  apparent,  further,  in  the  words  ‘‘all 
that  Jesus  began  to  do  and  teach  until  the  day  in  which 
He  was  taken  up.”  All  previous  to  that  day — so  this 
verse  says — was  the  beginning  of  that  the  completion  of 
which  must  be  after  He  was  taken  up.  Ascension,  then. 


212  THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 

is  in  the  middle  of  His  work.  It  closes  the  first  and  it 
opens  the  second  part  of  it.  He  began  His  work  while 
the  visible.  He  carries  it  on  as  the  invisible  Christ — not 
only  up  there,  but  down  here,  not  only  among,  but  in 
us,  not  only  in  one,  but  in  every  place.  Mark  shows 
the  connection  in  his  last  verse:  So  then  the  Lord 

was  received  up  into  heaven and  they 

went  forth,  and  preached  every  where.’’  And  every 
reader  of  the  Acts  and  Epistles  knows  how  constantly,  as 
we  have  already  sh<.»wn,  the  same  fact  is  brought  out, 
either  directly  or  by  allusion,  in  those  writiiigs.  The  whole 
historic  development  of  the  Church  is,  according  to  the 
documents,  the  continuation  only  of  the  divine-human 
life  of  Jesus  on  earth.  All  the  going  on  in  its  progress, 
all  its  activity  and  power,  all  gracious  oflSces  to  the  be- 
lievers, all  the  strength  for  holy  living,  all  cheering  and 
animating  views  and  assurances  to  them  dying  of  being 
then  present  with  the  Lord  as  to  their  spirits  and  of 
their  bodies,  united  to  Him,  resting  in  hope  until  His 
coming,all  assurances  of  His  coming  again,  and  of  the  res- 
urrection of  their  bodies  then,  and  of  their  being  caught 
up  to  meet  Him  in  the  air — in  a word,  all  that  enlivens, 
animates  urges  onward  a believer  living,  and  gives  cool- 
ness, joy,  intelligent  hope  in  dying  comes  from  His  (Je- 
sus’) constant  activity  by  The  Spirit.  All  this  neces- 
sitated His  being  in  Heaven  as  the  glorified  Man,  and 
this  He  could  not  be  without  both  resurrection  and  as- 
cension. And  since  both  are  a part  and  proof  of  His  work, 
it  is  clear,  that  had  His  life  closed  in  irremediable  death 
it  would  have  been  a failure.  His  atonement  would  have 


TH3  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


213 


been  valueless,  every  hope  and  aspiration  beyond  this 
life  would  have  perished  in  His  grave,  and  the  Church 
could  never  have  been. 

It  was  again  also  a moral  necessity,  in  that  both  had 
been  promised  to  Him  by  the  Father.  The  Spirit  of 
prophecy  speaking  through  Isaiah  had  declared  that  His 
prayer  for  restoration  from  the  grave  should  be  answered : 
Thus  saith  the  Lord,  In  an  acceptable  time  have  I heard 
Thee,  and  in  a day  of  salvation  have  I helped  Thee, 
(xlix,  8.).  And  speaking  through  David,  at  an  earlier 
day.  He  had  declared,  that  to  the  Messiah  there  would 
be  given  the  fullest  assurance  of  His  own  resurrection 
and  ascension:  ‘‘My  flesh  shall  rest  in  hope.  For  Thou 
wilt  not  leave  My  soul  in  Hades;  neither  wilt  Thou  suf- 
fer Thine  Holy  One  to  see  corruption.^  Thou  wilt  show 
Me  the  path  of  life:  in  Thy  presence  is  fulness  of  joy; 
at  Thy  right  hand  are  pleasures  forevermore  ’’  (Ps.  xvi, 
8-11;  com.  Acts  ii,  25-28.)  This  was  the  word  of  the 
living.  Personal  God  to  Him.  And  since  it  is  not  pos_ 
sible  for  God  to  lie,  this  word  makes  it  morally  necessary 
that  Jesus  must  rise  again. 

There  was  further  again,  a moral  necessity  for  His  res- 
urrection, based  on  the  fact  that  it  was  foretold.  This  fact 
Jesus  brought  most  prominently  forward  upon  the  day  of 
His  resurrection.  To  the  two  disciples  on  their  way  to  Em  - 
mans  He  remarked,  that  if  they  had  believed  all  that  the 
prophets  had  spoken,  they  would  have  believed  that  He 
had  actually  arisen  from  the  dead  on  that  the  third  day  * 

[*The  phrase,  “Thou  wilt  not  suffer.”  Acts  ii,  27,  seems  to  im- 
ply that  Jesus’  Body  was  naturally  corruptible.  But  the  Greek 
oude  dooseis^  wilt  not  gme^  shows  that  it  was  not.] 


214 


THE  HOLY  RESURREOTIOK. 


since  His  crucifixion.  Even  in  the  absence  of  sensible 
evidence  they  would,  on  the  authority  of  the  written 
word,  have  believed  the  fact.  And  it  was  not  until  after 
He  had  established  the  fact  from  the  Scriptures,  that 
He  made  Himself  known  to  them  in  the  breaking  of 
bread.  It  was  this  proof  too,  which  He  gave  the  com- 
pany of  disciples  on  that  same  evening.  He  first  tran- 
quilized  their  minds,  convinced  them  of  the  identity  of 
His  Person,  and  upbraided  them  for  their  unbelief  and 
hardness  of  heart  in  not  believino^  those  who  had  seen 
Plim  after  He  was  arisen.  He  then  rested  the  fact  of 
the  certainty  and  character  of  B.is  resurrection  upon  the 
necessity  of  all  that  was  written  of  Him  being  fulfilled 
as  He  had  told  them  before  His  decease.*  His  method 
of  procedure  was  this:  He  first  breathed  on  them,  saying, 
Receive  ye  The  Holy  Spirit.  Simultaneously,  He  opened 
their  understandings  that  they  might  understand  the 
Scriptures.  To  mind  and  heart  thus  prepared  He  said, 
^‘Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  is,  hence,  necessary  {edei) 
that  Christ  should  suffer,  and  should  rise  from  the  dead 
the  third  day,  and  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 

[There  are  no  express  prophecies  in  the  O.  T.  of  the  resurrection 
as  a separate  fact.  But  those  which  speak  of  His  exaltation  and  glori- 
fication after  His  humiliation  are  very  many.  And  these  involve 
His  resurrection  as  their  beginning.  We  may  mention  a few.  The 
prophecy  of  Shiloh,  of  Ps.  xvi,  of  ex,  where  Messiah  sits  at  God’s  right 
hand,  ruling,  and  of  Dan.  vii,  13, 14,  where  ‘‘universal  dominion  is 
given  by  the  Ancient  of  days  to  one  like  the  Son  of  Man,”  and  of 
Zech.  ix,  9,  10,  xii.  10;  xiii  7,  xlv,  1-3,  where  His  sceptre  is  world- 
wide, and  His  feet  are  to  stand  on  Mount  Olivet — all  these  im- 
ply the  intervening  resurrection.  In  fact  all  the  prophecies  which 
speak  of  His  sufferings  and  subsequent  glory  are  virtually  so 
many  pro]3heciesof  His  resurrection.  We  append  a partial  list  which 
the  reader  may  examine  and  compare  for  himself.] 

See  next  page. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


215 


should  be  preached  in  His  name  among  all  nations,  be- 
ginning at  Jerusalem.  The  predicted  facts  were  (a) 
Christ  must  suffer,  (b)  must  rise  the  third  day,  (c)  in 
His  name,  after  having  suffered  these  things, and, through 
resurrection  and  ascension  having  entered  into  His  glory 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  must  be  preached 
everywhere  (Luke  xxiv,  26, 46-48).  Houtoo — houtoos, 
— thus — thus.  Thus  it  is  written,  He  said,  and  therefore 
thus  edei,  it  must  he.  Therefore,  thus,  and  no  otherwise,  it 
is.  It  has  come  to  pass  become  it  must,  and  it  must  be- 
cause it  is  thus  written.  The  ^‘thus”  of  the  one  event, e. 
of  the  resurrection, corresponds  to  the  ‘‘thus”  of  prophecy 
And  before  evfer  a word  about  it  had  been  preached,  Je- 
sus declared  that  the  “thus”  of  the  other  event, — i.  e.  the 
preaching  everywhere  of  repentance  and  remission  oF 
sins  in  His  name  “must  be,” — must  correspond  also  to 
the  “thus”  of  prophecy.  It  was  surely  the  Divine  pur- 
pose that  these  things  should  be.  This  purpose  the 
Divine  wisdom  had  made  known,  in  writing;,  centuries 


PROPHECIES  RESPEOTIKO  CHRIST. 

As  the  Son  of  God:  Psa  ii,  7.  Fulfilled,  Luke  i,  33,  35.  As  the 
seed  of  woman:  Gen.  iii,  15.  Fulfilled,  Gal.  iv,  4.  As  the  seed  of 
Abraham : Gen.  xvii,  7;  Geu.  xxii,  18.  Fulfilled,  Gal.  iii.  Id.  As 
the  seed  of  Isaac:  Gen.  xxi,  13.  Fulfilled,  Heb.  xi,  17-19.  As  the 
seed  of  Davin:  Psa.  cxxxii,  11;  Jcr.  xxiii,  5.  Fulfilled,  Acts  xiii, 
33;  Rom.  i,  3.  His  coming  at  a set  time:  Gen.  xlix  10;  Dau.  ix,  31, 
35.  Fulfilled,  Luke  ii,  1.  His  being  born  of  a virgin;  Isa.  vii,  14. 
Fulfilled.  Matt,  i,  18;  Luke  ii,  7.  His  being  called  Jinmanii  d : Isa. 
vii,  14.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  i,  33,,i33.  His  being  born  in  Bethlehem  of 
Judea:  Micah  v,  3.  Fulfilled, "Matt,  ii,  1;  Luke  ii,  4-6.  Great  per- 
sons coming  to  adore  Him:  Psa.  Ixxii,  10.  FulfiPed,  Matt,  ii-  l-ll. 
The  slaying^ of  the  children  at  Bethleliem:  Jer.  xxxi,  15.  Fulfilled, 
Matt,  ii,  16-18.  His  being  called  out  of  Egypt:  Hosea  xi,  1 Ful- 
filled, Matt,  ii,  15.  His  being  preceded  by  John  the  Baptist;  Isa. 
xl,  3;  Mai.  iii,  1.  Fulfilled.  Matt,  iii,  1,  3;  Luke  i,  17.  His  being 
anointed  with  the  Spirtt:  Psa.  xlv,  7 ; Isa.  xi,  3;  Ixi,  1.  Fulfilled, 


216  THE  HOLY  RESURHECTION. 

before,  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  throiigli  the  prophets.  A 
Divine  must  {edeiy)  therefore,  is  concerned  in  their  pas' 
sing  into  actual  facts.  On  the  unalterable  purpose  of 
God  as  thus  made  known,  Jesus  placed  the  certainty  of 
the  fact  of  His  resurrection  and  ascension,  and  the  con- 
sequences flowing  therefrom,  and  therefore  of  the  peculiar 
character  of  His  resurrection  Body.  Had  the  disciples 
known  the  Scriptures,  they — so  Jesus  declared — so  soon 
as  they  saw  the  empty  tomb,  yea,  even  without  seeing  it 
empty,  or  even  without  seeing  the  risen  Jesus  Him- 
self, would  have  rested  in  the  assurance  that  He  had  ac- 
tually arisen.  And  so  soon  as  J esus  had  expounded  unto 
them  in  all  the  Scriptures  the  things  concerning  Him- 
self they  did  believe  the  fact.  After  Pentecost  they  went 
every  where  preaching  them  as  facts  whose  existence  was 
necessitated  from  the  foregoing  Scriptures.  Jesus  had 
declared,  so  did  they,  that  this  was  the  all  commanding 
demonstration  of  the  fact  of  His  resurrection.  This 
gave  the  point  and  power  to  Peter’s  preaching  on  the 


Matt,  iii,  16;  John  iii,  34;  Acts  x,  38.  His  being  a Prophet  like 
unto  Moses:  Deu.  xviii,  15-18.  Fulfilled,  Acts  iii,  20-2:2.  His  be- 
ing a Priest  after  tha  order  of  Melthizcdek:  Psa.  cx,  4.  Fulfille,d, 
Heb.  v,  5,  9.  His  entering  on  His  public  ministry:  Isa.  Ixi,  1 2. 
Fulfilled,  Luke  iv,  16-21, 43.  His  ministry  commencing  in  Galilee : 
Isa.  ix,  1,  2.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  iv,  12-16,  23.  His  entering  publicly 
into  Jerusalem:  Zee.  ix,  9.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xxi,  t-5.  His  coming 
into  the  temple:  Hag.  ii,  7,  8;  Mai.  iii,  1.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xxi,  12; 
Luke  ii,  27-82;  Johnii,  13-16.  His  poverty:  Isa.  liii,  2.  Fulfilled, 
Markvi,  3;  Luke  ix,  58.  His  meekness  and  want  of  ostentation, 
Isa.  xlit,  2.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xii,  15, 16,  19.  His  tenderness  and  com- 
passion: Isa.  xl,  11 ; xlii,  3.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xii,  15,  20;  Heb.  iv,  15. 
His  being  without  guile:  Isa.  liii,  9.  Fulfilled,  1 Pet.  ii,  22.  His 
zeal:  Psa.  Ixix,  9.  Fulfilled,  John  ii,  17.  His  preacdiing  by  par- 
ables: Psa.  Ixxviii,  2.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xiii,  34,  fc.  His  working 
miracles : Isa.  XXXV,  5,  6.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xi,  4-6;  John  xi,  47.  His 
bearing  reproach : Psa.  xxii,  6 ; Ixix.  7,  9,  20.  Fulfilled,  Pom.  15,  3. 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


217 


day  of  Pentecost,  and  at  the  house  of  Uornelius.  This 
gave  that  resistless  force  to  Stephen’s  word,  which  car- 
ried home  conviction  to  the  conscience  of  those  who 
heard  it.  They  could  not  but  feel  that  it  was,  but  they 
would  not  accept  it  as,  the  fact.  His  argument,  hence 
aroused  against  him  all  their  murderous  hate.  This 
was  Paul’s  all-conclusive  argument  at  Corinth,  Thess- 
alonica,  and  Antiocli.  This  was  the  rock:  The  Scriptures 
have  declared  it  therefore  the  fact  must  be,  therefore  is: 
upon  which  all  the  witnesses  always  and  everywhere 
firmly  planted  themselves.  This  they  openly,  fearlessly, 
powerfully  proclaimed.  This  made  the  Gospel  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation.  Drop  this  out  and  the  preach- 
ing of  repentance  and  remission  of  sins,  because  they 
can  be  founded  only  upon  the  resurrection  and  the  ante- 
cedent death,  is  not  of  the  slightest  avail.  That  preach- 
ing which  drops  them  out  can  never  work  that  stupen- 
dous, deep,  and  abiding  change  which  the  Scriptures 
call  conversion.  Preach  these  with  the  power  of  The 


His  being  rejected  by  His  brethren;  Psa.  Ixix,  8;  Isa.  xiii,  3.  Ful- 
filled, John  i,  11 ; 7.  His  being  a stone  of  stumbling  to  the  Jews: 
Isa.  viii,  14.  Fulfilled,  Rom,  ix,  35;  1 Pet.  ii,  8.  His  being  hated 
by  the  Jews:  Psa.  Ixix,  4;  Isa.  xlix  7.  Fulfilled,  John  xv,  24,  25. 
His  being  rejected  by  the  Jewish  rulers:  Psa.  i,  8’  22*  Fulfilled, 
Matt,  xxi,  41 ; J ohn  vii,  48.  That  Jews  and  Gentiles  should  combine 
against  Him:  Psa.  ii,  1,  2.  Fulfilled,  Luke  xxiii,  12;  Acts  iv,  27. 
His  being  betrayed  by  a friend ; Psa.  xli,  9 ; Iv,  12-14.  Fulfilled, 
John  xiii,  18,  21.  His  disciples  forsaking  Him;  Zech.  xiii,  7.  Ful- 
filled, Matt,  xxvi,  31,  56.  His  being  sold  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver: 
Zech.  xi,  12.  Fulfilled,  Matt.  26,  15.  His  price  being  given  for  a 
potter’s  field:  Zech.  xi,  13  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xxvii,  7.  The  intensity 
of  His  sufferings : Psa.  xxii,  14,  15.  Fulfilled,  Luke  xxii,  42,  44. 
His  sufferings  being  for  others:  Isa.  liii,  4-6,  12;  Dan.  ix  29.  Ful- 
filled, Matt.  XX,  28.  His  patience  and  silence  under  sufferings : Isa. 
liii,  7.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xxvi,  63 ; xxvii,  12-14.  His  being  smitten 


218 


THE  HOLY  RESTJKRECTIOH. 


Spirit,  and  tlie  result,  seen  in  noble  Christian  characters, 
is  as  conspicuous  to-day  as  in  the  days  of  yore.  And 
since  the  salvation  preached,  received,  enjoyed  is  a re- 
sultant from  the  facts  of  the  sufferings,  death,  and  res- 
urrection, and  since — as  is  seen  in  the  emphatic  connec- 
tive Tcai  (Luke  xxiv,  46,  47) — it  is  a part  of  the  ‘‘thus 
it  is  written,”  present  conversion  to  God,  and  present 
Christian  character-building  furnish  to  men  an  ever-pres- 
ent and  powerful  testimony  to  the  other  facts  in  the 
chain,  viz:  the  resurrection  and  ascension  of  Jesus  Christ. 

These  facts  spring  from  the  eternal  purpose,  and  be- 
long to  the  eternal  plan.  The  incarnation  of  the  Eter- 
nal word  was  not  an  after  thought  consequent  upon  the 
Fall.  Though  that  may  have  modified  its  surroundings, 
it  could  not  have  induced  it.  His  coming  and  all  its  conse 
quences  were  fore-ordained  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world  (1  Pet.  i,  20;  Rev.  xiii,  8,  17;  Eph.  i,  4;  Matt. 
XXV,  34.)  It  is  only  when  and  as  we  apprehend  these  facts 
that  we  have  a true  conception  of  the  world,  and  of  hu- 

on  the  cheek;  Micah  v,  1.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xxvii,  30.  His  visage 
being  marred;  Isa.  lii,  14;  liii,  3.  Fulfilled,  John  xix,  5.  His  be- 
ing spitted  on  and  scourged;  Isa.  1,  6.  Fulfilled,  Mark  xiv,  65; 
John  xiv,  1.  His  liands  and  feet  being  iiciiled  to  the  cross:  Fsa. 
xxii,  16.  Fulfilled.  John  xix,  18;  xx,  25.  His  being  forsaken  by 
God:  Psa.  xxii,  1.  Fulfilled,  Matt  xxvii,  46.  His  being  mocked: 
Psa.  xxii,  7,  8.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xxvii,  39-44.  Gall  and  vinegar  be- 
ing given  Him  to  drink:  Psa.  Ixix,  21.  Fulfilled,  Matt,  xxvii,  34, 
His  garments  being  ]n\rted  and  lots  cast  for  His  vesture:  Psa.  xxii. 
18.  Fulfilled,  Mast,  xxvii,  35.  His  being  numbered  with  tlie 
transgressors : Is  L liii,  12.  Fulfilled,  Mark  xv,  28.  His  inteicession 
for  His  murde  crs : Isa.  liii,  12.  Fulfilled,  Luke  xxiii,  34.  flis 
death:  Isa.  liii,  12.  Fulfilled,  Mat:,  xxvii,  50.  That  a bone  of  Him 
sliould  not  be  broken:  Exo  xii,  46;  Psa.  xxxiv,  20.  Fulfilled  John 
xix,  33,  36.  His  being  pierced:  Zech.  xii,  10.  Fulfilled,  John  xix, 
34.37.  His  being  buried  with  the  riLh:  Isa.  liii,  9.  Fulfilled, 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


219 


manity.  These  facts  were  included  in  the  thought  of  crea- 
tion. And  since  entrance  into  involves  departure  from 
the  world,  the  departure  as  well  as  entrance  had  a place 
in  the  plan  of  creation.  And  since  the  entrance  was  by  in- 
carnation, the  departure  could  not  be  by  death,  so  must 
be  by  ascension.  ‘^He  that  ascended  is  the  same  that 
had  descended  first  into  the  lower  parts  of  the  earth.’’  Res- 
urrection and  ascension  then  must  be,  became  included 
in  the  eternal  plan.  And  since  it  is  the  accomplishment 
of  the  purpose  belonging  to  creation,  but  whose  progress 
was  defeated  by  the  introduction  of  sin  (Col.  i.  16,)  it 
follows  that  both  man  and  the  cosmos  share  in  the  res- 
toration and  consummation  of  all  things.  So  say  the 
Scriptures.  At  the  appointed  times,  and  in  the  appointed 
order  eternal  power  brought  them  out  from  ideas  into  ac- 
tualities. We  study  the  facts.  We  study  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures.  We  see  that  the  former  are  in  exact  accord 
with  the  latter.  We  see  Jesus  Himself  pointing  out 
the  correspondence  between  the  two,  and  demonstrating 


Matt,  xxvii,  57-90.  His  flesh  not  seeing  corruption:  Psa.  xvi,  10» 
Fulfilled,  Acts  ii,  31 ; xiii,  35 ; 1 Pet.  iii,  10.  His  resurrection : Psa* 
xvi,  10;  Isa.  xxvi,  19.  Fulfilled,  Luke  xxiv,  6,  31,  34.  His  ascen- 
sion : Psa.  Ixviii,  18.  Fulfilled,  Luke  xxiv,  51 ; Acts  i,  9 ; Eph.  xiv, 
8.  His  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  God:  Psa.  cx,  1.  Fulfilled, 
Heb.  i,  3.  His  exercising  the  priestly  oflice  in  Heaven : Zech.  vi, 
13.  Fulfilled,  Kom  viii,  34.  His  being  the  chief  corner-stone  of 
the  Church : Isa.  xxviii,  16.  Fulfilled,  1 Pet.  ii,  6,  7.  His  being 
King  in  Zion:  Psa.  ii,  6.  Fulfilled,  Luke  i,  32 j John  xviii,  33-37. 
The  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  to  Him:  Isa.  xi,  10;  xlii,  1.  Ful- 
filled, Matt,  i,  17,  21;  John  x,  16;  Acts  x,  45,  47;  Isa.  lii,  7,  com. 
Acts  viii,  35.  His  righteous  government : Psa.  xlv,  67.  Fulfilled, 
John,  V,  30;  Rev.  xix,  11.  His  universal  dominion:  Psa.  Ixxii,  8; 
Dan,  vii,  14.  Fulfilled,  Phi,  ii,  9,  11.  The  perpetuity  of  His  king- 
dom: Isa.  iii,  7;  Dan.  vii.  14.  Fulfilled,  Luke  i,  32,  33. 


220 


THE  HOLY  KESURKECTION. 


the  certainty  of  the  events  from  the  certainty  of  the  “thus 
it  is  written.’’  We  see  that  all  is  in  the  eternal  plan, 
so  it  must  be  that  God’s  seal  is  upon  both.  The  order  is 
perfect.  The  argument  is  rational,  logical,  irresistible.  To 
thinking  men  who  honestly  and  thoroughly  study  both 
books — the  book  of  the  facts  and  the  book  of  the  fore- 
going Scriptures — it  becomes  an  intellectual  and  moral 
conviction  which  nothing  can  disturb:  ^^Jesus  Christ 
died  for  our  sins,  according  to  tlie  Scriptures;  Jesus  Christ 
was  buried;  Jesus  Christ  rose  again  according  to  the 
Scriptures.”  This  is  the  word  which,  as  Calvin  finely 
expresses  it,  creates  a conviction  which  asks  not  for 
l easons;  a knowledge  which  accords  with  the  highest 
reason,  namely,  knowledge  in  which  the  mind  rests  more 
firmly  and  securely  than  in  any  reason ; in  fine,  the  con- 
viction which  revelation  from  heaven  alone  can  produce. 

These  testimonies  were  confirmed  by  many  and  mag- 
nificent miracles.  ^‘They  went  forth  and  preached,  the 
Lord  working  with  them,  and  confirming  the  word  with 
signs  following;”  ‘‘God  also  bearing  them  witness  both 
with  signs  and  wonders,  and  with  divers  miracles  and 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit.”  These  were  publicly  wrought 
and  manifested.  Pentecost  with  its  tongues  was  a con- 
firmation. So  were  the  attestations  which  everywhere 
accompanied  the  preaching  of  the  word.  And  the  more 
conspicuous,  lasting  and  important  of  these  by  far,  were 
those  revolutionary*  and  beneficient  changes  wrought  in 
the  thinking  and  acting  of  men,  in  their  social,  business, 
and  political  life,  and  in  the  character  of  their  homes. 
These  evidences  are  capable  of  almost  indefinite  expai?- 


THE  HOLY  EESUKRECTION* 


221 


sion.  Tl.ey  are  familiar  to  every  one.  One  is  patent 
to  every  eye  that  will  but  look,  viz:  ^^Tliis  Gospel  must 
be  preached  among  all  nations  for,  not  the  world’s  con- 
version, ('this  will  not  be.  Scripture  says,  before  Jesus 
comes)  but,  for  A WITNESS.”  And  until  all  this  array 
of  testimony  is  completely  overthrown  it  is  intellectually 
impossible  to  eliminate  from  the  world’s  thinking  the 
fact  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  arose  from  the  dead. 

That  fact  is  now  in  the  consciousness  of  humanity. 
To  make  it  the  resting  place  of  an  influential  personal 
faith  it  must  pass  into  the  personal  consciousness.  As  a 
natural  fact  it  can  be  brought  within  one’s  grasp  by  human 
agency  competent  to  convey  it.  But  as  a supernatural  fact 
it  can  come  within  one  only  by  a supernatui  al  agency.  The 
very  nature  of  the  testimony,  that  the  resurrection  oc- 
curred because  the^^thus  it  is  written”made  this  necessary. 
No  one  can  receive  it,  and  the  fact  to  which  it  testifies 
into  the  consciousness  except  through  both  a human  and 
a supernatural  agent  and  witness.  Both  are  at  hand, 
Ye  Apostles  are,  ye  shall  be,  witnesses.  Preachers  and 
teachers  both  they  were  to  be;  but  above,  and  before  all 
witnesses,  eye,  ear,  mouth,  life  witnesses  of  the  facts  of 
Jesus’  life,  death,  resurrection  and  ascension,  as  rooted 
in  the  ^^must  be.”  ‘‘We  speak  what  we  know.”  The 
other  agent  is  The  Spirit.  “We  are  witnesses,  and  so 
also  is  the  Holy  Spirit.”  The  two  testimonies  are  con- 
current. He  alone  can,  and  acting  through  these  wit- 
nesses does  convey  to  the  personal  consciousness  the 
supernatural  conviction  of  the  supernatural  fact.  It 
was  He  who  carried  this  conviction  through  the  hundred 


222 


THE  HOLY  EESLKREOTION. 


and  twenty  to  the  three  thousand  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost. This  He  has  been  doing  ever  since.  And  no  oth- 
erwise can  any  one  be  inwardly  and  influentially  con^ 
vinced  of  these  facts,  can  they  and  their  results  be 
brought  to  the  individual  consciousness. 

Here  we  rest  the  argument.  And  could  any  argu- 
ment be  more  complete?  Hot  one  link  is  missing.  All 
is  solid,  because  all  is  Divine.  The  two  Testaments, 
opened  to  the  consciousness  by  The  Spirit,  do  to  and  for 
us  what  Jesus  did  to  and  for  the  disciples.  They,  as 
He  did,  lift  up  our  faith  into  the  region,  and  place  it  up- 
on the  foundation,  of  the  Divine.  The  whole  humanity 
surrenders  gladly  to  the  facts,  and  then  allows  them  to 
exert  upon  it  their  purifying,  ennobling  influences.  Then 
it  becomes  possessed  of  a faith  that  is  living,  for  it  springs 
from,  and  is  nourished  by  life.  It  is  an  intelligent  faith, 
for  it  possesses  all  the  information  in  the  case.  It  is  a 
historic  faith,  for  it  reposes  upon  liistoric  facts.  It  is  a 
scientiflc  fact,  for  it  sees  in  the  things  a true  scientific 
development,  a ^^must  be”  according  to  law.  It  is  a 
saving  faith,  for  it  lifts  man  out  of  the  most  frightful,  and 
elevates  him  into  the  most  exalted  position.  And  im- 
measuralfly  higher  than  all  else,  it  is  a Divine  faith, 
for  its  deepest,  its  eternal  foundation  is,  not  the  wisdom 
of  men,  but  the  power  of  the  living,  paisonal  God. 

But  if  all  that  this  argument  involved  was  merely 
the  establishment  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  as  an  iso- 
lated fact,  or  as  the  commemoration  and  crown  of  a 
series  of  facts,  then  the  orain  to  man  would  be  little. 

O 

It  is  the  relation  that  it  sustains  to  our  race  that  gives 
this  stupendous  fact  its  infinite  value  to  us.  Incarna- 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION.  223 

tion  is  not  the  climax  of  creation.  Nor  was  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  work  that  Jesus  wrought  on  earth  the 
end,  in  view  of  the  incarnation.  Jesus’  resurrection 
and  ascension  in  the  form  of  glorified  manhood  was  the 
goal  of  incarnation,  was  the  culmination  of  God’s  work- 
ing in  creation  during  the  ages.  In  Him  glorified, 
man,  for  the  first  time,  was  fully  brought  to  view  as  the 
perfect  image  ot  the  invisible  God.  In  Him  thus  exalted, 
was  realized  the  thought  of  the  ideal  man  which  had  been 
in  the  mind  of  God  from  eternity,  and  the  realization 
of  which  had  been  the  goal  of  all  His  creative  energy 
as  far  as  this  concerned  our  globe,  possibly,  also,  the 
system  to  which  it  belongs.  And  this  resurrection  and 
ascension  were  for  the  race.  Jesus  arose,  not  alone,  for 
He  was  the  first  fruits,  the  pattern  and  power  of  all  vi- 
tally united  with  Him  (i  Cor  xv,  22;  Eph.  i,  18- ; ii57). 
By  them  He  is  looked  at  and  to,  not  only  as  The  Man 
on  earth,  grand  as  He  then  was,  nor  only  as  The  Man 
on  the  cross  expiating  sins,  but  also  as  The  Man  Risen, 
The  Man  Ascended,  The  Man  Glorified,  The  Man  seen 
passing  through  the  heavens  to  a seat  on  the  right  hand 
of  God; — The  Man  of  Nazareth  exalted  as  The  Man  on 
The  Father’s  throne,  possessed  of  many  crowns  and  of 
all  power  in  Heaven  and  on  earth,  the  embodied  Eter- 
nal Life,  and  The  Father’s  gift  to  man,  The  Saviour  of 
mankind  and  The  Coming  King.*  This  is  the  One 
whom  we  know,  trust  in,  love,  honor  and  obey.  Tliis 

[^‘His  return  is  the  subject  of  the  two  closing  volumes  of  this 
series.] 


224 


THE  HOLY  RESURRECTION. 


is  the  One  who,  in  glory  as  on  earth,  says,  I,*  The  Son 
of  Man,  am  conscious,  also,  that  I am  The  Eternal  Son 
of  God. 

HALLELUJAH  ! 

Christmas:  Christ  is  born. 

Good  Friday:  Christ  died  for  our  sins, 
Easter:  Christ  is  risen. 

Ascension  Day:  Christ  has  ascended. 
Parousia:  Christ  is  coming. 

HALLELUJAH  ! 


BEING 


JUSTIFIED  BY  FAITH 
We  have  PEACE  WITH 


THROUGH  OUR  LORD 
, JESUS  CHRIST.  A 


Romans,  v.  i, 


Ye  Ckrzs^s 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


226 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 

Rev.  ii,  iii. 

■HESE  Letters  (see  pp.  154-158,)  Jesus  sent  to 
certain  churches,  after  His  return  to  Heaven. 
As  truly  as  His  words  given  in  the  Gospels  are, 
so  truly  aie  these  an  integral  fact  in  His  life.  If 
we  would  have  afullview  of  it,\ve  must  know  their 
teaching,  import  and  scope.  They  are,  except  His  few 
words  in  the  last  chapter  of  The  Revelation,  His  last 
words  to  His  Church  until  He  comes  again.  And  this 
coming,  as  His  words  on  that  subject  which  we  have 
already  studied  show,  is  as  integral  a part  of  His  life 
as  was  His  first  coming,  or  as  is  His  present  appearance 
in  the  presence  of  God  for  us.  Tliat  coming  is  the 
subject  of  the  closing  volumes  of  this  series.  And  our 
present  study,  added  to  wdiat  we  have  already  learned, 
will  help  us  in  that  study. 

The  fundamental  idea  of  these  Letters,  as  of  The 
Revelation  in  which  they  are  found,  is  the  Coming  ot 
Jesus.  And  this  fact  must  be  kept  steadily  in  view. 

The  Letter  to  th-  ) The  first  Letter  is  addressed  to 
Church  in  Ephesus.  ) the  church  in  Ephesus,  the  most 
infiuential,  as  the  first  one  established,  in  Asia  Minor; 
and  the  great  center  then,  as  Antioch  and  Jerusalem 
had  been  of  Church  infiuence. 


226 


THE  HOLY  LETTEKS. 


The  city  itself  had  a history  which  runs  back  until 
lost  in  legend.  Situated  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Cays  ter,  in  the  province  of  Ionia,  possessed  of  an  excel 
lent  climate,  surrounded  by  a country  of  surpassing 
beauty  and  fertility,  and  admirably  placed  for  traffic 
with  all  parts  of  the  Levant,  it  rapidly  grew  in  commer- 
cial importance.  In  the  time  of  these  Letters  (about 
A.  D.  86,  96),  it  was  the  finest  city  and  chief  emporium 
of  Asia  Minor.  Through  it  the  trade  of  Greece  and 
Home  passed  along  excellent  roads  into  the  remoter  dis- 
tricts, and  at  its  wharves  Roman  proconsuls  landed  on 
their  progress  into  the  interior. 

In  wealth,  magnificence,  and  infiuence,  civil  and  re- 
ligious (heathen),  it  liad  become  the  metropolis  of 
consular  Asia.  It  was  called  Hhe  Illustrious,”  ‘‘The 
Light.”  The  capital  of  a proconsular  province,  enjoy- 
ing a municipal  government,  and  possessed  of  such 
great  commercial  advantages,  it  became  the  center  of 
the  occult  sciences,  the  meeting  place  of  Grecian  and 
Oriental  culture,  and  the  abode  or  resort  of  many  illus- 
trious men.  As  the  seat  of  the  worship  of  the  goddess 
Diana,  that  object  of  profoundest  and  wide-spread  wor- 
ship (Acts  xix),^  the  streets  were  annually  crowded  with 
the  thousands  drawn  to  festivals  in  her  honor.  And 
her  temple,  whose  construction  occupied  220  years,  and 
whose  magnificence  made  it  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
world,  contributed  more  than  all  else  besides  to  make 
the  city  renowned. 

It  is  not  these  facts,  however,  but  its  connection  with 


/_ 


EPHESTIS  RESTORfeD 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS.  227 

the  early  history  of  the  Church  which  gives  Ephesus  its 
peculiar  interest  to  the  Christian. 

This  church,  founded  by  Paul,  who  labored  there 
nearly  three  years,  enjoyed  the  ministration  also  of 
Timothy,  possibly,  also  of  Luke,  and  later  of  the  be- 
loved John,  the  intimate  friend  of  Jesus.  To  it  he  de- 
voted the  almost  heavenly  close  of  his  long  career. 
There,  possibly,  he  wrote  his  Gospel  and  Epistles,*  and 
— so  a well-founded  tradition  says — was  buried;  as  were, 
also,  Timothy,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  our  Lord,  And 
to  that  church,  the  nearest  to  Patrnos,  and  the  most 
important  of  the  Seven,  was  the  first  of  the  Letters  re- 
ceived at  Patrnos,  sent. 

Paul’s  first  visit  found  some  in  whom  the  seeds  of 
truth  had  been  planted.  Continuing  his  journey,  he 
left  Aquila  and  Priscilla  to  carry  on  the  work.  And 
they,  at  a later  period,  as  also  Apollas  and  Tychicus, 
(2  Tim.  iv,  19;  Eph.  vi),  were  of  signal  service.  Some 
time  later  he  returned,  and  remained  for  nearly  three 
years.  His  labors  were  most  abundant  (Acts  xx),  and 
successful.  A church  was  organized.  Elders  were  or- 
dained, and  Timothy,  later,  made  the  pastor.  All  Asia 
heard  the  word  of  The  Lord.  The  Jews  were  hardened. 
Sceva’s  sons,  Demetrius  and  his  fellow  craftsmen, Hymen- 
seus  and  Alexander,  and  Phygelles  and  Hermogenes,f 
each,  in  some  form,  opposed  the  spread  of  the  truth. 

[*If  it  was  not  to  this  church  that  he  wrote  the  first  of  his 
Epistles.] 

[fActs  xix;  1 Tim.  ii,  20;  2 Tim.  i,  15;  iv,  14.] 


228  THE  HOLY  LETTEES. 

But  it  prevailed,  it  grew,  it  gathered  to  its  embrace 
Onesiphorus  and  his  family,  Trophimus,  and  Tychicus, 
who  later  became  Paul’s  companion  in  travel,*  and 
numbers  besides.  Among  these  were  those  who  had 
been  worshippers  of  Diana,  and  others  who  had  been 
devotees  of  magic.  These  burned  their  books  valued 
at  a large  amount,  and  others  confessed  their  faults 
publicly.  These  all  gave  the  gospel  an  enthusiastic 
and  consistent  testimony.  Such  was  the  power  of  The 
Spirit.  Such,  the  mighty  growth  ot  the  word.  Such^ 
the  ardor,  decision  and  zeal  of  the  new  converts.  The 
church  delighted  Paul.  To  it  he  gave  a most  affec- 
tionate farewell  (Acts  xx),  and,  later,  sent  a letter  which 
is  one  of  the  most  profound  and  sublime,  and  yet  ten- 
derly practical  that  he  ever  wrote. 

Thirty  years  had  passed,  and  now  to  it  comes  this 
Letter,  sent  by  Jesus  Himself.  It  is  addressed  to  “the 
angel  of  the  church.”f  To  him  He  speaks,  using  of 
Himself  a title  and  attributes,  which  harmonize  with 
the  character  and  needs  of  the  church.  “Thus  said  He” 
— recalling  the  “thus  saith  The  Lord” — “that  walketh 
in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks,  and  hold- 
eth  the  seven  stars  in  His  right  hand.  I know  thy 


[^2  Tim,  iv,  12;  Acts  xx,  4;  xxi,  9.] 

[fThat  is,  its  representative.  It  is  praised  or  blamed  accord- 
ing to  its  character  and  condition.  But  he  is  distinguished  from 
it  (vs.  13,16,  20),  and  it,  like  him,  is  addressed  as  responsible  (i,  5). 
When  the  intention  is  to  discriminate,  the  plural  is  used;  when 
the  whole  church  is  spoken  of,  the  singular,  “some  of  you,’’  slain 
among  you,  &c.] 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


229 


works”  (good,  but  not  heroic,)  ^^and  labor”  (kopos^  toil^ 
the  word  implies  labor  unto  weariness),  <‘and  patience” 
(endurance),  ^‘how  thou  canst  not  bear  them  which  are 
evil”  (bad  men  in  the  domain  and  mask  of  piety);  <^and 
how  thou  hast  tried”  {epeirasoo^  tried  hy  tests^  1 Jn. 
iv,  i),  them  which  say  they  are  apostles,  and  are  not 
(Acts  XX,  29,  30).  And,”  tried  by  both  their  doctrine 
(2  Cor.  xi,  4,  13,)  and  works,  ^‘thou  hast  found  them 
liars.  And  I know  how  thou  hast  borne  and  hast  pa- 
tience, and  for  My  name’s  sake  hast  labored  and  hast 
not  fainted,”  i,  e,^  hast  unweariedly  in  spirit  labored  on 
under  sufferings  for  My  sake,  which  thou  hast  stead- 
fastly endured.  Under  each  and  all  trials,  patience  had 
continued  steady.  Though  under  constant  and  heavy 
pressure,  the  temptation  to  escape  the  conflict  by  com- 
promising the  truth  had  been  steadily  withstood. 

A magnificent  eulogy!  The  church  is  commended 
for  soundness  in  doctrine,  purity  in  life,  hatred  of  error, 
dread  of  worldliness,  faithfulness  in  the  discharge  of 
duties,  indefatigable  activity  in  service,  and  patience  in 
sufferings  endured  for  Jesus’  sake.  And  more  com- 
mended even  was  their  hatred  of  ‘‘the  deeds  of  the 
Kicolaitanes.*”  This  party  took  offense  at  the  moral 

(^The  ^‘deeds,’’  e.,  the  opinions  carried  out  into  practice,  is  an 
advance  upon  the  speculative  errors  of  vs.  15.  The  name,  like  Anti- 
pas  (vs.  13),  is  historical,  but  there  is  no  historical  ground  for  the 
opinion  or  claim  that  Nicholas  of  Antioch  was  the  founder  of  the 
sect.  The  party,  which  seems  to  be  described  in  2 Pet.  ii,  16 : iii, 
6,  16,  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Balaamites  (vs.  14,  15).  And 
the  strong  words,  “which  I also  hate,”  point  to  deeds  of  abomination 
and  impurity,  such  as  those  mentioned  in  the  prophets  (see  Is.  lxi,8; 
Jer.  xliv,  4;  Amos  v,  21;  Zech.  viii,  17,  &c.) 


230 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


strength  of  Christianity.  Under  the  plea  of  the  “law 
of  liberty”  the  persons  labored  to  accommodate  the 
grossness  of  heathenism  to  the  exigencies  of  Christian 
life,  to  introduce  into  the  Kingdom  of  God  libertin- 
ism, the  false  freedom  of  the  flesh. 

From  whatever  motive,  with  whatever  plea,  the 
movement  was  peculiarly  wicked,  and  peculiarly  offen- 
sive to  God.  Doctrine  and  practice  both  were  pecu- 
liarly opposed  to  the  purity  of  the  gospel.  To  hate 
both  as  and  because  hated  by  Jesus,  was  a peculiar 
mark  of  grace,  and  received  special  Divine  commen- 
dation. 

This  was  the  bright  side.  Jesus  recognized,  noted, 
and  commended  all  that  was  right,  all  that  was  wor- 
thy of  His  approbation.  But  eminent  as  the  church 
was  in  all  this,  and  prosperous,  powerful  and  influen- 
tial as  it  was  in  position,  numbers,  good  works  and 
wealth,  it  was  really  a declining  church.  “Never- 
theless”— how  sadly  it  sounds! — “I  have*  against  thee, 
because  {hoti)^  thou  hast  left  thy  first  love.” 

What  is  that  love?  It  is  the  pure  love  of  the  religious 
consciousness,  its  receptivity,  freedom  from  antagoniz- 
ing contaminating  forces,  and  that  genuine  earnestness 
and  devotion  found  in  “the  love  of  espousals,”the  chaste 
and  fervent  love  at  conversion,  called  forth  by,  and  res- 
ponding to,  God’s  consciously  expressed  love  (Jer.ii,  2). 
It  subordinates  all  other  love,  and  prompts  to  a loyal 
obedience  to,  and  loving  and  filial  worship  of,  God,  and 


[*Comp.,  in  Greek,  Matt,  v,  23;  Mk.  xi,  25;  Col,  iii,  13.] 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS 


231 


to  loving  and  brotherly  service  for  man.  And  where  it 
is  professed,  works  performed  without  it  are  as  sound- 
ing brass,  and  worship  as  a tinkling  cymbal. 

In  Thessalonica  this  love  seems  not  to  have  been  left. 
The  heart- fellowship  with  The  Fountain  of  Life  and 
of  Love  was  continuous  and  delightful.  Hence  the 
love,  while  becoming  steadier  and  stronger  daily,  nev- 
er lost  its  freshness.  And  so  the  labor  from  love,  as 
the  work  from  faith  and  patience  from  hope,  never 
lost  in  quality.*  And  the  church  in  Ephesus  had  this 
love  in  all  its  freedom  at  the  time  that  Paul  addressed 
to  it  his  noble  letter, f whose  contents  and  tone  show 
that  the  church  was  disciplined  in  the  things  of  God, 
and  was  walking  in  the  power  and  comfort  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  For  he  places  its  members  on  his  own  level  in 
Christian  attainment,  makes  known  to  them  some  of  the 
deepest  revelations  of  the  mystery  of  the  gospel,  gives 
them,  not  so  much  directions  and  commands,  as  exhor- 
tations to  continued  and  advancing  cultivation  of  those 
things  which  had  been  or  would  be  made  known  to 
them  by  The  Spirit — whom  they  had  never  grieved — , 
and  prays  for  them  that  they  might  know  the  knowl- 
edge-surpassing love  of  Christ,  and  be  filled  with  all 
the  fulness  of  God. 

['^This  church  is  not  mentioned  among  the  type  churches.  As 
a church  it  seems  to  have  had  no  successor.  A rare  sight,  indeed, 
and  most  refreshing  would  a Thessalonian  church  be.  It  was  a 
church  in  which  The  Lord’s  return  was  a vital,  fundamental  truth, 
the  freshness  and  power  of  which  were  never  lost.] 

[fSee  Eph.  i,  15;  ii,  16-19;  iv,  15,  16;  v,  83-89.J 


232 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


Such  was  the  church  in  the  time  of  its  first  love.  A 
holy  association  of  loving  and  laborious  children  of 
God.  Planted  in  the  capital  of  Eastern  idolatry,  in  the 
very  presence  ot  the  superb  temple  of  Diana,  and  stand- 
ing erect,  faithful  to  God,  and  separate  from  all  evil,  it 
was  a light-bearer  from  heaven,  a paradise  in  the 
midst  of  the  idolatrous  and  profligate  city,  whose  re- 
generating influences  were  everywhere  felt.  No  rude 
dissensions,  no  worldly  mind  deflled  its  daily  history. 
The  members  lived  in  the  atmosphere  of  unselfishness, 
were  generous  in  their  benefactions,  and  ready  for  any 
service  for  the  good  of  man.  Love  ruled  in  their 
hearts,  and  ran  through  their  actions  and  words — love 
to  God,  to  each  other,  to  all  saints,  to  mankind.  The 
glory  of  God  surrounded  them.  The  Holy  Spirit  dwelt 
within  them.  The  Son  of  God  cheered  them  on.  The 
calm  of  Heaven  was  reflected  from  them.  The  stake 
had  no  terrors,  the  lions  no  power  to  disturb  their  tran- 
quility. The  ardor  of  their  first  love  enabled  them  to 
triumph  whilst  devoured  by  the  beasts,  or  consumed  in 
the  flames.  Men  saw  this.  They  saw  Christianity  inac- 
tion, truth  working  by  love,  and  were  won,  converted  and 
saved.  Angels  passing  by  on  errands  of  love  were  re- 
minded of  their  own  mission  and  home.  Jesus  beheld 
all  this,  and  rejoiced  at  these  happy  results  of  His  suf- 
ferings and  death. 

How  terrible  the  contrast  between  that  delightful 
and  this  deplorable,  state — a change  brought  about  in 
thirty  years.  This  church,  planted  and  watered  by  the 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


233 


apostles,  nourislied  by  the  lives  of  saiuts  and  blood  of 
martyrs,  and  powerful  for  good,  had  fallen,  indeed. 
The  tree  was  fair,  but  the  root  was  withering  away. 
There  was  a great  show  of  churchly  life,  and  great 
decorousness  in  the  services,  but  the  blight  was  there. 
The  forms  of  worship  remained,  but  the  life  expressed 
in  them  had,  to  a large  degree  disappeared.  The  form 
of  sound  words,  the  truth  once  delivered  to  the  saints, 
was  maintained,  but  it  was  largely  an  inanirnated  ortho- 
doxy. The  traditions  of  an  earnest  Christianity  were 
held  with  zeal,  but  only  as  traditions.  Tlie  watchwords 
were  spoken,  but  they  were  not  what  they  were  to  their 
fathers,  bugle  sounds  summoning  loving  hearts  to  war- 
fare, works  or  sufferings.  The  prayers,  praises,  labors, 
contributions  continued,  but  through  the  impulse  orig- 
inally given.  The  body  was  intact.  No  member  lack- 
ing, no  function  suspended,  no  defect,  lesion  or  disease 
apparent  to  the  mere  human  eye,  though  practiced  and 
skilled.  Apparently,  nothing,  really  everything,  had 
changed.  Apparently  nothing  was  wanting,  really 
everything.  External  energy  had  taken  the  place  of  in- 
ward power.  For  that  mysterious,  intangible,  unde- 
finable  something  which  escapes  analysis,  but  which  is 
nevertheless  so  real  and  essential,  the  God-imparted 
life,  the  source  of  the  love,  was  becoming  feeble.  The 
body  was  growing  colder  every  hour.  Nothing  save 
reviving  could  save  the  church  from  death. 

This  church  had  left  her  first  love,  had  let  slip  the 
consciousness  of  The  Lord’s  love  to  her,  and  hence  the 


234 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


divinely-given  fire  was  slowly  expiring.  That  inward, 
habitual  prayerfulness,  warmth,  contemplation,  that 
glowing,  ab-sorbing  love  to  Jesus,  as  a personal,  pres- 
ent, precious,  powerful  Saviour,  which  had  characterized 
the  early  Church,  Paul  to  old  age,  the  Ephesus  church 
in  her  earlier  years,  and  which  had  led  her  then  to  de- 
voted service  and  entire  consecration,*  was  now  slowly 
waning.  Once,  dwelling  steadily  on  Jesus’  love  in  its 
manifestations,  her  own  love  had  grown  exceedingly. 
And  by  its  fervency  she  had  stood  the  severest  pressure  ot 
persecution;  and  her  unwearied  activity  had  been  re- 
warded in  large  numbers  of  saved  men.  But  having 
lost  the  sweet  sense  and  enjoyment  of  Jesus’  love,  her 
love  had  cooled  down.  She  was  satisfied  with  Jesus’ 
service  rather  than  Himself.  Instability  of  affection 
had  been  followed  by  dividedness  of  heart  between  Je- 
sus and  the  world.  And  unless  all  this  was  changed, 
soon  would  all  love  to  Jesus  wholly  disappear. 

Jesus’  love,  ever  glowing,  ever  flowing,  is  stronger 
than  death.  This  love  He  gives.  And  while  He  high* 
ly  prizes  good  qualities  and  active,  increased  service.  He 
wants  first  of  all  the  heart.  The  man’s  salvation  is  the 
fruit  of  His  own  perfect  self-sacrificing  love,  and  His 
love  can  be  satisfied  with  nothing  short  ot  the  heart  su- 
premely devoted  to  Him.  It  cannot  love  Him  worthi- 
ly, but  it  can  love  Him  truly.  The  affection  is  inade- 
quate, but  there  must  be  undividedness  of  object.  The 
response  miist  correspond  to  the  bestowal.  This  want- 


[yJEph,  iii,  16-19;  iv,  15-16.) 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


233 


ing,  service  is  valueless.  This  gone,  the  rest  is  nothing. 
This  love,  He  sees,  is  waning  in  the  church  in  Ephesus. 
It  was  still  a noble  body.  Would  that  churches  now 
reached  the  height  of  its  failure!  None  less  minded 
earthly  things,  and  more  the  things  of  God.  None  less 
concerned  itself  about  order,  and  more  about  purity  and 
ej05ciency,and  large-hearted,  gracious  sympathy  with  men. 
With  that  church,  far  better  than  most  churches  now. 
He  expostulates  most  tenderly,  ‘^remember  whence 
(from  what  height,)  thou  art  fallen.  Recall  thy  early 
state,  thy  better,  nobler  past,  when  the  light  of  The 
Lord  took  away  the  glory  of  the  Ephesian  Letters,*  when 
the  love  of  The  Lord  prompted  the  burning  of  the 
books  of  magic, *1*  and  gave  a steadiness  which  the  Ephe- 
sian mob  could  not  shake,  and  when  the  enthusiastic 
devotion  to  the  worship  and  work  of  God  was  equalled 
only  by  your  delight  therein.  Recall  the  bliss  of  com- 
munion, when  the  heart,  withdrawn  from  the  transient 
and  perishable,  was  fixed,  in  undoubting  faith  and  glow- 
ing love,  upon  the  eternal.  Then  I was  present  to  your 
every  thought,  and  precious  to  the  every  throbbing  of 
your  heart.  Then  everything  was  animated  by  your  love 
to  Me,  From  the  cold,  dark  valley  where  you  now  are, 
look  up  to  the  sunlit  summits,  the  heavenly  places 
where  you  walked  with  God  in  all  the  fervor  of  your 
first  love,  and  measure  the  distance  thou  Hast  fallen. 

And  repent.  That  is,  see  your  fall  and  sin  as  God 

(*So  well-known  in  ancient  sorcery.) 

(fTbey  were  valued  at  about  $10,000  of  our  money. 


236 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


sees  them,  judge  them  as  God  judges  them.  Confess 
them  to  Him,  and  put  them  away.  Then  the  immedi- 
ate revelation  of  grace  will  meet  the  need.  Restoration 
will  be  followed  by  blessing.  Thus  getting  back  to 
first  love  you  will  do  your  ‘‘first  works’’  from  love 
(Gal.  V,  6). 

Then  follows  a threat,  the  magnitude  of  which  shows 
the  badness  of  the  condition.  “Repent,  &c.,  or  I will 
come  quickly,*  and  remove  thy  candlestick  out  of  his 
place.”  This  word  is  not  to  the  city,  as  it  it  was  its 
candlestick  that  would  be  removed.  Nor  is  the  word, “I 
will  remove  thee, the  church,  out  of  Ephesus.  The 
word,  here,  does  not  refer  to  the  removal  of  Christianity, 
or  to  the  Church  as  an  institution,  from  Ephesus.  But 
it  is  a word  to  the  church,  “I  will  remove  thy  candle- 
stick out  of  its  place,”  i.  e.^  its  place  among  the  “seven,” 
where  it  is  now,  in  the  Heavenly  Sanctuary.  The 
church’s  candlestick  condition  would  then  cease,  and 
the  already  dwindling  light  would  go  out.  The  organi- 
zation might  continue,  but  it  w^ould  be  no  light  bearer. 
The  church  services  go  on,  but  there  would  be  no  testi- 
mony for  Jesus,  given  in  the  power  of  The  Holy  Spirit. 
The  barren  would  become  the  withered  fig-tree,  on 
which  no  fruit  would  grow.  For  all  the  purposes  of 
God’s  glory  and  man’s  spiritual  good,  the  church  would 
be  of  no  value,  and  its  continuance  or  extinction  would 
be  a matter  of  but  little  consequence. 

[*This  word,  tacliu^  quickly^  is  wanting  in  the  best  Mss  ; is 
cancelled  by  critical  scholars,  and  is  omitted  in  the  R.  V.] 


CHOJiCX  or  ST  JOHN.  EPHESUS 


fOK  SITIf  o>  KPH^!;SU^ 


tHE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


23t 


This  warning  word  was  unheeded,  and  the  rest  is 
soon  told.  The  city  itself  is  a desolation.  The  streets 
once  populous,  are  now  browsed  by  the  sheep  of  pover- 
ty, or  ploughed  by  the  Ottoman  serf.  But  this  desola- 
tion is  not  necessarily  the  result  of  the  removal  of  the 
Ephesian  church’s  candlestick.  The  city  was  not  to 
blame  for  that,  but  the  church  itself.  It  was  not  a case 
in  which  persecution  drove  Christianity  out  of  the  city; 
but  in  which  the  church  itself  forfeited  its  candlestick 
character  and  position.  And  the  consequence  was  the 
church’s  owii  decay.  And  this  was  followed  by  its  dis- 
solution. And  as  a result  Christianity  went  down  in 
that  region.  Mohammedanism  flourishes  where  it  once 
ruled.  The  mosque  stands  where  the  church  building 
once  stood.  No  Christian  dwells  where  once  Christian- 
ity had  a stronghold,  nor  reads  either  Letter  to  the 
church  at  Ephesus,  in  the  place  to  which  they  were 
originally  sent.  No  prayer,  no  song  is  heard  in  that 
place  where  Paul  labored,  John  lived  and  died,  and 
Jesus  had  so  many  followers.  And  as  we  sit  amid 
these  ecclesiastical  ruins,  one  great  fact  forces  itself 
upon  the  attention:  That  learning,  however  great,  or- 
thodoxy, however  undisputed,  zeal  in  church  order, 
services  and  work,  however  maintained,  cannot  compen- 
sate for  the  absence  of  ‘'first  love,”  and  cannot  of  them- 
selves be  a reason  why  Jesus  should  not  remove  the 
church’s  candlestick,  when  it  (the  church)  has  lost  its 
candlestick  character  and  position. 


238 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


The  Letter  to  the  ) The  second  Letter  was  ad- 
church  in  Smyrna,  j dressed  to  the  church  in  Smyrna. 
The  new  Smyrna,  rebuilt  by  the  successors  of  Alexan- 
der not  far  from  the  site  of  the  old,  was  one  of  the 
fairest  cities  of  Ionia.  It  was  forty  miles  north  of 
Ephesus.  Climate,  soil  and  situation  were  all  that 
could  be  desired.  On  the  Asiatic  side  of  the  ^gean, 
on  a coast  of  great  beauty,  and  on  one  of  the  finest  har- 
bors in  the  world,  it  was  the  natural  outlet  for  the 
whole  valley  of  the  Hermus,  and  commanded  the  trade 
of  the  Levant,  as  it  does  to  this  day. 

In  wealth,  culture  and  splendor  it  outshone  Ephesus. 
It  was  called  <^the  beautiful,”  ^‘the  crown  of  Ionia,” 
‘‘the  jewel  of  Asia.”  Its  works  of  art,  public  library, 
museum,  and  temples  to  Jupiter,  to  the  mother  of  the 
gods,  and  of  the  goddesses  worshipped  under  the  name  of 
Nemesis,  were  famed  far  and  wide.  Its  edifices,  public 
and  private,  its  arts,  its  polity  (it  had  a municipal  gov- 
ernment, and  was  a republic),  and  the  politeness  and 
kindliness  of  its  citizens  were,  so  Pausanius  declared,  as 
near  perfection  as  could  be  found  on  earth.  And 
Strabo  follows  a description  of  its  streets  (which  were 
laid  out  at  right  angles),  and  of  its  temples,  theatres, 
baths,  schools,  hospitals  and  aqueducts,  with,  “this  is  in- 
deed the  most  beautiful  city  in  the  world.” 

When,  and  by  whom  the  gospel  was  first  preached 
there,  and  the  church  was  planted,  is  not  known.  But 
it  enjoyed  the  labors  of  Polycarp.*  And,  illustrious  by 


[*See  footnote  on  next  page.] 


SMYRNA, 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


239 


the  high  character  which  it  steadily  maintained,  and  by 
the  persecutions  which  it  endured,  it  was  specially  so 
by  his  glorious  martyrdom. 

This  Letter  is  a witness  to  that  high  character.  With 
an  impartial  eye  Jesus  is  looking  at  it  as  a representa- 
tive of  Himself,  as  a vessel  bearing  His  name  before 
the  world,  as  a letter  to  be  known  and  read  of  all  men 
during  His  absence.  And  in  the  practical  use  of  the 
grace  received,  He  sees  nothing  to  condemn  or  reprove. 
First  love  has  not  been  left,  nor  early  faith.  Loyal 
obedience  to  Himself  is  not  wanting.  Its  life  is  seen 
in  “I  know  thy  poverty,  but  thou  art  rich,’’  its  spirit,  in 
the  ^'faithful  unto  death.”  It  was  poor,  yet  rich  towards 
God,  in  the  graces  of  The  Spirit,  in  all  the  affluence 
of  a noble,  Christ-like  life.  It  was  calumniated,  yet 
honored,  suffering,  yet  faithful,  victorious  and  crowned. 
Lowly,  loving,  laboring,  witnessing,  suffering,  and  the 
mother  of  martyrs,  it  realized  the  Beatitudes  of  Mat- 
thew V,  The  story  is  refreshing  to  us.  The  sight 
must  have  been  most  refreshing  to  the  Church’s  adora- 
ble Head. 

[*When  a lad,  he  had  heard  from  the  apostle  John’s  lips  the 
narrative  of  the  life  and  death  of  Je^us.  When  a man,  he  received 
the  pastorate  of  this  church  from  the  servants  and  eye-witnesses  of 
The  Lord,  and,  according  to  Tertullian,  from  John  himself.  In 
A.  D.  108,  he  received  a letter  from  Ignatius,  while  on  his  way  to 
Rome,  there  to  suffer  martyrdom.  In  labors,  in  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel,  and  in  holiness  of  life,  he  was  eminent.  His  long  and 
useful  career  was  closed  in  extreme  old  age  by  a glorious  martyr- 
dom. When  ordered  by  the  judges  to  blaspheme  the  name  of  Jesus, 
he  answered  with  a firm  and  quiet  dignity,  “eighty-six  years  have 
I served  Him,  and  He  has  never  done  me  any  wrong.  How,  then, 
can  I now  curse  Him,  my  Saviour  and  King?”] 


240 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


To  it  He  presents  Himself,  not  with  a ‘‘sharp  two- 
edged  sword,’’  but  with  a name  and  character  which  are 
responsive  to  its  distress,  and  which,  with  His  Letter 
alive  with  loving  and  consolatory  words,  give  firm  sup- 
port and  truest  comfort  to  it  in  the  fiercest  fire  of  per- 
secution. 

He  tells  His  suffering  ones  that  He  is  “The  First  and 
The  Last” — a designation  which  centuries  before  Isaiah 
had  challenged  for  Jehovah.  Satan’s  utmost  power 
cannot  go  beyond  death.  But  through  and  beyond 
death  Jesus  had  gone.  He  had  been  the  suffering,  He 
was  now  the  triumphant,  Man.  And  this  victory  over 
death  He  thus  announced  to  them:  “He  who  became 
dead,  and  now  liveth  again.”  And  from  this  vantage 
ground  of  the  very  highest  order  He  addresses  His  suf- 
fering church. 

“I  know  thy  works,  and  the  tribulation  and  the  pov- 
erty;” that  is,  the  works  good  in  the  estimate  of  Jesus, 
done  under  the  heavy  pressure  of  tribulation  and  pov- 
erty. Tribulation  {thlipsis)^  that  pressure  and  anguish 
which  come  from  persecution  for  Jesus’  sake;*  and  also 
that  pressure  and  anguish,  apart  from  persecution, 
which  are  the  constant  attendants  of  the  true  Christian 
life.f  At  times  these  are  very  heavy,  almost  crushing. 
But,  whatever  be  the  instrument  or  cause,  Jesus  says, 
“I  know  the  tribulation;”  the  thorns  which  pierce  the 

[*Acts  XX,  23;  1 Thes.  iii,  4;  Heb.  xi,  37;  Rev.  i,  9.] 

[fSee  Matt,  xiii,  21 ; 2 Thes.  i,  4,  where  persecution  is  distin- 
guished from  tribulation,  and  John  xvi,  33,  Acts  xiv,  22.) 


THE  HOLY  LETTEKS. 


241 


body,  the  reproaches  which  fall  upon  the  head,  the 
agony  which  wrings  the  heart.  He  knows  the  tempting 
power  of  Satan  at  such  a time,  and  furnishes  the  shield 
which  quenches  all  his  fiery  darts.  He  knows  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  blessedness  which  flows  through  the 
tribulation.  Living  faith  in  the  Living  God  is  re- 
vived and  strengthened.  The  life  of  God  in  the  soul 
receives  enlarged  experiences.  The  tendency  to  spir- 
itual decay  and  to  departure  from  God  is  checked. 
The  person,  the  church  becomes  more  Christ-like, 
and  more  genuinely  human,  tender  and  kind,  and  bet- 
ter qualified  and  prepared  for  Christian  work.  He,  in  it 
learns  to  suffer  with  Christ,  learns,  as  He  did,  obedi- 
ence, becomes,  as  He  became,  perfect  through  suffering. 

‘^And  the  poverty.”  It,  in  itself,  is  no  sin,  no 
shame:  ^‘He  who  was  rich,  for  our  sakes  became  poor.” 
But  it  exposes  one  to  peculiar  trials  and  temptations, 
and  leaves  one  helpless,  and  often  friendless  and  op- 
pressed. Such  were  the  Smyrnsean  believers.  Their 
poverty  came  partly  from  their'  position,  and  partly 
from  the  oppressions  of  persecution.  They  were  no 
strangers  to  the  experience  of  both  Jas.  ii,  6,  and 
Heb.  X,  32-34.  They  were  poor  in  numbers  of  high 
position  or  of  extensive  knowledge,  in  worldly  goods, 
in  worldly  influence,  and  in  the  world’s  esteem — the  very 
opposite  in  these  respects  of  the  Laodicean  church;  as 
the  opposite,  also,  in  the  next  fact: 

“But  thou  art  rich.”  There  is  a wealth  that  is  pov* 
erty;  this  the  Laodiceans  had.  There  is  a poverty  that 


242  THE  HOLY  LETTEBS. 

is  wealth;  and  this  the  Smyrnseans  had.  Like  Paul, 
they  had  nothing,  yet  possessed  all  things,  were  poor, 
yet  made  many  rich.  They  were  rich  in  Divine,  ex- 
haustless riches,  the  coin  from  Heaven’s  mint;  rich  in 
the  treasures  of  true  wisdom  and  knowledge;  rich  in 
faith,  love,  victories  over  sin,  humility,  gentleness, 
brotherly  love  and  love  to  God  and  for  man;  rich  in 
decision,  courage,  patience,  zeal,  and  sufferings  for 
Christ;  rich  in  holy,  useful  lives,  good  works,  and  the 
fruits  of  The  Spirit.  Their  riches  were  intrinsic,  those 
of  character;  hence  they  had  that  contented  mind 
which  is  a continual  feast.  And  they  were  rich  in  the 
estimation  of  God;  and,  for  all  that  is  valuable,  in  that 
of  man.  Possessed  of  all  this,  of  treasures  in  Heaven, 
and  being  children  and  heirs  of  an  infinitely  rich  God, 
what  more  did  they  need  ? 

And  rich  in  all  the  graces  of  The  Spirit  must  they  be. 
For  most  afflicted  they  were  and  persecuted.  Already 
they  had  suffered  much  from  a ‘‘those”  who  were  a 
synagogue  of  Satan,  “Synagogue”  was,  as  it  still  is, 
the  technical  name  of  the  house  where  the  Jews  assem- 
bled for  worship,  then,  by  metoiiomy  of  the  worshippers. 
In  not  one  single  case  is  the  word  used  ot  the  Church  as 
composed  partly,  or  wholly,  of  Gentiles.  Jas.  ii,  2,  is 
no  exception.  For  that  Letter  is  addressed  to  “the 
twelve,  tribes,”  i.  of  Israel.  These,  though  they 
“had  the  faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,”  still  main- 
tained their  synagogue  worship.  And  some  such  an 
assembly  as  this  seems  to  be  referred  to  here.  They 


THE  HOLT  LETTERS. 


243 


were  Jews,  nationally,  who  had  been  prepared  to  receive 
Jesus  as  The  Messiah,  so  had  no  standing  with  the 
regular  synagogues,  but  who  met  by  themselves,  and 
who  had  so  far  departed  from  the  faith  of  Christ  that 
their  Jewish  principles  and  feelings  were  far  the  strong- 
er. Jesus  says  their  claim  to  be  Jews  was  a false  claim, 
and  that  they,  instead  of  being  a synagogue  of  convert- 
ed men,  were  a synagogue  of  Satan.  That  is,  they  were 
actuated  and  guided  by  him,  and  were  only  his  tools. 
Their  evil  speaking  (hlasphemia)  against  the  church — 
perhaps,  accusing  it  of  apostacy  from  the  Law — Jesus 
knew,  as  also  how  much  the  church  had  suffered  from 
it,  and  how  patiently  all  this  had  been  borne. 

But  much  as  already  were  the  sufferings,  more  and 
still  worse  sufferings  were  to  come.  Not  deliverance, 
not  even  relief  was  held  out  to  them.  A crisis  was  im- 
minent. All  efforts  to  effect  them  injuriously  had 
failed.  And  now  they  are  about  to  suffer,  not  from 
but  through  the  passions,  prejudices  and  personal  in- 
terests of  men,  all  that  the  permitted  malice  and  might 
of  Satan,  in  his  war  against  God,  can  inflict  on  His 
saints.  Their  constancy  had  only  aroused  the  enemy’s 
rage.  The  attacks  had  hitherto  been  confined  to  out- 
rages of  words,  now  severer  measures  were  about  to  be 
taken.  ‘‘Behold,  the  devil  shall  cast  some  of  you  into 
prison,  that  ye  may  be  tested,  i,  by  him,  to  show 
that  you  are  not  wheat,*  to  yourselves,  and  before  the 


[*See  Holy  Supper,  pp.  119-121.1 


244 


THE  HOLT  LETTERS. 


world.  The  tribalation  will  be  severe,  with  some  end- 
ing in  death.  But  it  will  be  brief  and  definite,  10  days 
only,  as  contrasted  with  the  1260  days  of  tribulation 
(xiii,  5,)  yet  to  come.  You  will  feel,  but  do  not  fear, 
the  things  which  you  will  sufier.  They  cannot  hinder 
communion  with  Me,  nor  prevent  the  bestowment  of 
grace,  nor  dim  the  blessedness  and  brightness  of  Heav- 
en. ‘‘Be  thou  (the  ginou  pointing  to  the  perils,)  faith- 
ful’’ to  all  truth  and  in  all  things  until  death,  and  I 
will  give  you  the  crown  (of  victory,  Stephanos^  of  the 
{tees)  life:  that  crown  which  is  given  to  the  victors 
over  temptation,  and  through  trial.  It  is  not  the  heritage 
of  all  the  saints,  but  of  certain  victors  only  (Jas.  i,  12). 
The  distinctions  in  glory,  and  the  distribution  of  rewards 
regard  the  measure  of  service  or  suffering  on  earth 
(Matt,  xix,  xx). 

That  church  was  faithful,  and  that  city  Christianity 
has  never  left.  It  to-day  is  majestically  seated  upon  a 
gulf  of  the  archipelago,  and  numbers  180,000  souls.  Of 
these  90,000,  of  various  denominations,  recall,  by  their 
profession,  the  faith  held  by  those  to  whom  this  Letter 
was  addressed.  The  Turks  call  the  city  “Infidel  Smyr- 
na.” It  is  one  of  the  most  important  centers  of  Chris- 
tian activity  in  Asia  Minor.  And,  through  the  success- 
ful labors  of  American  and  European  missionaries,  the 
cause  of  Jesus  is  spreading  from  this  center  into  all  the 
regions  round  about. 

The  Letter  to  the  church  ) The  third  Letter  was 
in  Pergamum.  J addressed  to  the  church  in 


PERGAnns 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


246 


Pergamum,  (now  Bergama),  in  Mysea.  The  city  was 
situated  on  the  Oaicus,  3 miles  from  its  bank,  20  miles 
from  its  mouth,  and  about  26  miles  from  Smyrna. 
The  capital  of  the  splendid  dynasty  of  Attains,  it  was 
famed  for  its  antiquity,  ease  of  access,  strength  and 
beauty  of  situation,  splendid  temples,  wealth  and  learn- 
ing, and  as  an  illustrious  and  a principal  city  of  Asia. 
Its  great  public  buildings  were  regarded  as  superior 
to  all,  save  the  temple  of  ^]phesus,  that  Asia  could 
show.  Its  royal  library  of  200,000  parchments  almost 
equalled  that  of  Alexandria,  with  which  it  was,  by  the 
gift  of  Cleopatra,  ultimately  united.  The  sheep- skins 
there  prepared  for  writing  materials  gave  the  new 
name,  Pergamene  papers,  from  which  came  our  word 
parchment.  One  painting  by  Aristides,  with  which  one 
of  its  kings  enriched  the  city,  cost  $600,000.  In  its 
renowned  school  of  medicine  the  illustrious  Galen  (one 
of  its  citizens,  by  birth),  was  educated.  A long  line  of 
kings  resided  there,  every  one  of  them  distinguished 
for  taste  and  liberality.  The  city  was  of  no  commercial 
importance,  but  its  literary  advantages  made  it  the 
abode  of  artists,  architects,  and  learned  men;  and  these 
gave  to  the  place  that  tone  of  high  literary  culture  and 
erudition  which  it  possessed  and  enjoyed. 

The  citizens  being  more  attracted  by  the  idealizations 
of  human  power  and  beautyjSuch  as  Phidias  represented 
in  marble,  and  Aristides  on  canvass,  than  by  the  darker 
and  deeper  superstitions  of  the  East,  the  (heathen) 
religious  spirit,  though  sensuous  and  voluptuous,  was 


246 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


graceful  and  elegant.  In  its  temples  the  religious 
rites  were  celebrated  with  unusual  splendor.  And  for 
years  these  were  conducted  with  comparative  decency. 
But  it  finally  became  a city  of  temples  whose  groves 
furnished  the  amplest  appliances  and  opportunities  for 
the  licentious  rituals  of  heathenism. 

The  one  god  of  the  Fergamene  system  of  idolatry 
which  dwarfed  all  the  rest  was  ^sculapius,  the  god 
of  medicine.  His  temple*  stood  in  a beautiful  grove 
called  Nicephorum,  and  his  worship  drew  almost  as 
many  to  Pergamum  as  did  that  of  Diana  to  Ephesus. 
But  the  tendency  of  all  heathen  worships  was  down- 
ward. And  this  worship,  under  the  influence  of  the 
prevailing  habits  and  modes  of  thought,  had  by  the 
close  of  the  flrst  century  A.  D,.  degenerated  into 
pharmaceutical  magic.  Its  influence  being  wide-spread, 
its  power  for  evil  was  most  terrible.  It  paralyzed  the 
intellect,  flattered  and  depraved  the  passions,  corrupted 
the  morals,  and  held  the  keys  of  physical  life  with  a 
fraudful  and  vindictive  hand.  This  fact  not  improbably, 
together  with  the  fact  that  Pergamum,  as  the  seat  of 
a Roman  tribunal,  was  the  center  of  persecution  for 
churches  of  that  region,  gained  for  the  city  that 
fearful  name,  ‘‘Throne  of  Satan.’^'j* 

Of  the  history  of  the  church  there,  nothing  has  come 
down  to  us  except  what  we  have  in  this  Letter.  And 

[*It  ruins  are  still  shown,  as  are  the  granite  walls  and 
marble  columns,  the  evidences  of  the  city's  former  greatness  and 
magnificence.] 

[fBut  see  note  at  foot  of  picture  .] 


Possibly,  this  alter,  which  is  40  feet  high,  Is  covered  with  coloseftl 
sculptures  showine  the  combats  of  gods  and  giants,  and  was  built, 
probably,  by  Eumenes  II  (197-159  B.  C.)i  was  the  foundation  for  the 
word,  “where  Satan's  seat  is.” 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS.  247 

from  it  we  learn  that  it  had  been  a noble  church  which 
neither  threats  nor  persecutions,  nor  martyrdom  could 
move  from  their  fidelity;  but  that  when  this  Letter 
was  written  it  was  a fallen  church,  overcome  by  the 
seductions  of  worldliness,  and  then  dwelling  under 
the  protection  of  the  world-power.  Jesus  introduces 
Himself  to  the  church  as  “as  having  the  sharp  two- 
edged  sword” — symbol  throughout  this  book  of  the 
all-searching,  condemning  and  destroying  power  of 
the  word,  which  decides  all  questions  that  have  to  do 
with  Himself,  and  which  He  applies  with  power. 
This  designation  has  reference  to  the  church’s  present 
perilous  condition  from  permitted  internal  evils 
(vss.  14-16). 

He  knows  their  position.  They  were  dwelling  in 
a place  where  “Satan’s  throne  is,”  and  where  “he 
dwells.”  Remarkable  expressions,  pointing  out  very  ter- 
rible forms  of  evil,  temptation  and  corruption.  “Satan’s 
throne”  was  not  in  the  church,  nor  was  it  his  dwelling- 
place.  But  the  church  was  in  the  city  where  the  throne 
was,  and  was  peculiarly  exposed  to  its  influence.  The 
church  was  still  holding  fast  with  vigor  and  tenacity 
{krateis^  pres,  ten.,)  the  name  of  Jesus,  but  not  with  the 
firmness  of  grasp  with  which  it  had  held  faith  in  Him 
in  the  days  when  persecution  raged,  and  when  Anti- 
pas,  J esus’  faithful  witness,  had  been  killed  for  His  sake.* 

[♦Tradition  says  that  Antipas’  death  occurred  during  the 
Domitian  persecution.  He  was,  it  says,  shut  up  in  a red-hot 
brazen  bull,  and  ended  his  life  in  thanksgiving  and  praise,  His 


248 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


Amid  the  horrors  of  that  persecution  the  steadfastness 
of  the  church  was  most  conspicuous.  Even  the  death 
of  Antipas  did  not  shake  ic.  What  occasioned  his 
death  we  know  not;  whether  fanatical  zeal  for  paganism, 
or  for  the  special  worship  of  ^sculapius,  or  whether 
direct  hostility  to  Jesus  and  Ilis  followers.  Nor  do  we 
know  whether  the  chief  persecutors  were  citizens,  strang- 
ers, or  the  magistracy.  But  Satan  was  the  instigator. 

And  he  saw  that  he  had  made  a mistake.  Persecution 
had  not  crushed  or  even  intimidated  the  church.  It 
had  only  purified  it,  and  made  it  all-victorious.  The 
Christians  could  sacrifice  life,  but  they  would  not 
surrender  truth.  Death  they  preferred  to  dishonor, 
martyrdom  to  treachery.  In  the  physical  disasters  they 
had  triumphed  over  Satan.  Violence  had  gained  him 
no  success. 

But  his‘‘throne,”his  dwelling-place  was  in  Pergamum, 
The  presence  of  embodied  faithfulness  to  God  was 
most  hateful  to  him.  That  firmness  of  faith,  that 
steadfastness  of  purpose  must  be  broken  down.  It 
could  not  be  done  by  blows.  It  must  be  done  by  bland- 
ishments. And  these  succeeded.  False  teachers  ap- 
peared. Compromises  were  insinuated.  “The  world 

so-called  tomb  is  still  still  shown,  in  the  mosque  of  St.  Sophia, 
a building  of  the  apostolic  era;  and  the  ruins  also  of  the  church  of 
8t.  John,  the  walls  of  which  were  100  feet  high.  It  is  the  church, 
it  is  said,  where  the  Christians  met  for  worship  at  the  time  when 

they  received  this  letter  from  John The  present  population  of 

Pergamum  (now  Bergema),  is  estimated  at  90,000;  of  whom  about 
3,000  are  nominal  Christians.) 


THE  HOLT  LETTERS. 


249 


has  been  excessively  severe,  because  your  principles 
have  been  excessively  exclusive  and  repelling.  Sliov/ 
more  liberality.  Meet  the  advances,  and  welcome  the 
friendship  of  the  world.  Then  hostility  will  cease. 
You  will  be  under  the  protection  of  the  world,  and 
will  share  in  the  prosperity  ot  the  city.”  The  church 
yielded.  Doctrinal  errors,  then  moral  corruptions,  crept 
in.  Then  persecution  ceased,  for  the  church  had  ceased, 
even  while  holding  fast  Jesus’  name,  to  be  a witnessing 
church. 

This  terrible  fall  is  thus  noticed:  ‘‘I  have  a few 
things  against  thee,  that  since  the  time  when 

Antipas  was  slain,  ‘‘thou  hast”  in  thy  church  “them 
who  hold  fast*  the  teaching  of  Balaam  and  the  teaching 
of  the  Nicolaitanes.” 

The  teaching  of  Balaam !f  and  what  was  that?  Not 
the  wholesome  doctrine  which  he  uttered  when  the 
inspiration  of  God  was  upon  him,J  but  the  infernal 
teaching  which  he  gave  forth  under  the  inspiration  of 
the  devil.  He  had  gifts,  but  not  grace.  He  was,  under 
the  seeming  ot  a good,  a bad  man  at  heart.  He  professed 

[*The  same  Greek  verb,  that  h ad  just  before  been  used.] 

[fBoth  Eusebius  and  Irengeus  say  that  these  parties  participated 
in  heathen  festivals,  and  in  the  eating  of  meats  offered  to  idols ; 
and  that  they  declared  themselves  not  defiled  thereby.  And  from 
the  licentious  character  of  these  festivals,  fornication  went  hand 
in  hand  with  this  eating.  These  persons  taught,  says  Irenseus, 
that  this  must  be  done  by  those  who  would  attain  a perfect  insight 
into  their  secret  doctrines.  Of  the  wide  extent  of  both  of  these 
forms  of  corruption  there  is  a large  historical  proof.] 

[|Num.  xxiii,  7-10,  19-24;  xxiv,  3-9,  15-19,  20-24.  His  history 
is  given  by  J^um  xxii-xxv.] 


250  THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 

to  speak  for  God,  he  acted  for  himself.  Otliers,  such 
as  unhappy  Judas,  have  been  drawn  into  evil  without 
attempting  to  draw  in  any  one  else.  But  Balaam  was 
coldly,  systematically  wicked,  the  most  odious  and  skill- 
ful seducer  which  the  Bible  portrays.  In  his  work  he 
was  most  infernal.  For  cupidity  and  base  vengeance, 
he  plunged  a whole  nation  into  a sin  which,  except  for 
Divine  interposition,  would  have  been  its  destruction. 

So  well  known  was  his  wicked  force  of  character  that 
Balak  wanted  to  use  him  in  a ‘‘cursing’’  work.  And  so 
well  know  were  his  covetousness  and  ambition,  that  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  offer  him  bribes  of  gold  and  high 
position.  The  people  whom  he  was  to  curse  had  injured 
neither  Balak  nor  himself.  He  had  no  special  desire  to 
see  them  cursed.  But  the  splendid  rewards  of  divination! 
These  fired  his  sordid  soul.  For  these  he  will  serve  a 
bad  king  by  cursing  an  inoffensive  people.  And  his 
hellish  motive  he  veils  under  the  thin  covering  of  pious 
cant,  “that  he  will  speak  only  what  The  Lord  tells  him 
to  say.” 

The  attempt  failed.  He  was  unable  to  curse  Israel 
so  as  to  dieliver  them  to  the  armies  of  Balak.  The 
rewards  were  forfeited  These  he  would  get.  He  was 
warned.  Obstacles  were  interposed.  But  he  stopped 
not.  With  diabolical  cunning  and  malice  he  devised 
a scheme  which  was  a masterpiece  of  iniquity.  To  carry 
it  out  he  must  crush  all  human  sympathies,  degrade  his 
humanity,  endure  the  lashings  of  conscience,  if  it  was 
not  already  seared,  and  brave  the  threatenings  of  God. 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


251 


But  nothing  stopped  him.  Whom  he  could  not  curse 
he  would  corrupt.  He  would  get  Israel  to  sin,  and  so 
forfeit  the  favor  of  God.  Then  they  would  be  an  easy 
prey. 

He  taught  Balak  to  cast  a stumbling-block*  before 
the  children  of  Israel.  Balak,  as  king,  could  carry  out 
the  scheme.  It  was  this:  To  get  the  beautiful  daugh- 
ters of  Moab  to  entrap  the  sons  of  Israel  into  foul  un- 
cleanness.'j-  The  plot  succeeded.  The  men  accepted 
the  invitation  to  the  heathen  festivals.  Then  what  the 
armies  could  not  do  was  done  by  the  fascinating  arts 
and  wicked  embraces  of  the  daughters  of  Moab.  Pur- 
ity gone,  all  was  gone.  Easy  then  was  it  to  induce  the 
people  to  join  in  sacrificing  to  Moab’s  gods,  and  to  eat 
things  offered  to  idols.  The  results  were  terrible.  And 
had  there  been  no  immediate  intervention  of  God,  the 
nation  would  have  perished  in  the  snares  of  immorality, 
when  just  on  the  borders  of  the  promised  land. 

What  Balaam  taught  Balak,  permitted  teachers  of  and 
in  their  own  membership  held  and  taught  the 
members  of  the  church  in  Pergamiim.  They  were  se- 
ducers, teaching,  under  the  semblance  of  friendship  to 


[^Skandalon^  that  part  of  the  trap  on  which  the  bait  is  laid, 
the  touching  of  which  caused  the  trap  to  spring  and  close  upon  the 
prey;  then,  any  impediment  which  causes  one  to  stumble; 
then  any  occasion  of  sinning,  or  incitement  to  commit  sin  or 
to  morally  fall.  2 Josh,  xxii,  13;  Ps.  cxl,  9;  Is.  viii,  25;  Kom.  ix, 
32 ; xi,  9 ; xiv,  13 ; 1 Pet,  ii,  7 ; &c.] 

[tNum.  xxii,  25-xxv,  1,  2;  xxxi,  16;  Josh,  xiii;  22.] 


262 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


God,  those  things  which  overthrow  the  truth  of  God, 
are  dishonoring  to  Him,  and  degrading  to  man,  and 
which,  carried  into  practice,  are  destructive  to  the  person 
and  to  the  church.  It  was  ‘^to  eat  things  sacrificed  to 
idols,  and  to  commit  fornication,” 

. Phases  of  this  sad  form  of  evil  had  already  appeared 
in  the  Church.  To  “eat  things  offered  to  idols”  was 
the  shibboleth  between  the  laxer  and  the  stricter  party 
in  the  church  in  Corinth.*  These  Balaam-teachers 
maintained  the  lawfulness  of  this  eating  and  of  other 
compliances  with  idolatrous  worship.  The  idol  is  noth- 
ing. What  harm  then  in  being  present  at  the  worship 
of  the  idols.  Not  that  which  goes  into  the  mouth  de- 
files. Why  then  absent  from  feasts  where  meat 
offered  to  idols  is  eaten?  The  body  is  nothing.  The 
soul  is  the  all  important  thing.  The  defilements  of  the 
fiesh  can  never  reach  it.  Hence  the  soul  will  remain 
pnre  though  the  body  indulges  in  the  heathen  feasts 
and  fornications.  The  heathen  finding  you  so  yielding 
to  its  customs,  will  yield  to  your  God. 

Another  phase  of  this  corruption  is  mentioned  by 
Peterj*  and  Jude,;};  in  terms  of  the  severest  condemna- 

[*This  was  an  exceedingly  strong  temptation  to  the  Gentile 
converts.  Not  to  eat  such  meats  involved  withdrawal  from  any 
social  meal  with  their  heathen  neighbors,  and  from  the  whole  so- 
cial life  of  that  day.  For  the  meat,  after  beiug  offered  in  sacrifice, 
was  prepared  for  and  put  upon  the  offerer’s  table.  And  the  sacri- 
fice, further,  had  bound  up  itself  in  one  way  or  other  with  almost 
every  fact  of  social  life.  Further  yet,  with  the  sacrifice  foruication 
was  connected.  And  the  eating  and  fornication  were  invariably 
allied  to  tlie  spiritual  fornication  and  idolatry.] 

[t2  Epis.  ii,  1-3,  13-21.] 

[fVss,  10-13J 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


253 


tion.  The  persons  had  some  measure  of  truth,  but  tliey 
used  it  corruptly,  to  seduce  the  people.  They  turned 
the  grace  of  God  into  lasciviousness,  by  using  it  as  an 
occasion  for  the  indulgence  of  the  flesh  even  to  disolute- 
ness.  They  were  “dreamers,’’  making  their  own 
thought  their  guides,  and  rejecting  all  the  restraints  of 
the  truth.  Their  own  reason  and  knowledge  being  the 
measure  of  what  they  would  receive  as  revelation  from 
God,  everything  in  the  Bible  they  reduced  to  that  stand- 
ard. They  were  simply  like  unreasoning  animals,  con* 
tent  with  what  they  knew  naturally;  and  even  in  those 
things  they  corrupted  themselves.  They  claimed  a 
superior  sanctity.  But  it  flowed  not  from  the  truth, 
was  unreal,  and  so  was  a terrible  snare  both  to  them- 
selves and  to  others. 

One  such  source  of  corruption  in  a church  was  terri- 
ble enough.  But  in  this  church  was  another  permitted 
evil,  as  the  “so  also”  shows.  The  two  were  embodied 
in  distinct  but  kindred  sects.  “Thou  hast  also  them 
that  hold  the  teaching  of  the  Nicolaitanes  in  like  man- 
ner, i,  as  the  Balaamites  did,  that  what  they  taught 
was  to  be  understood  and  carried  out  literally,  not  met- 
aphorically. In  some  respects  the  Nicolai  tan  evil  was 
far  worse  than  the  Balaamite.  The  latter  is  the  spirit 
and  practice  of  the  world  brought  in  by  a strong,  bad 
man  from  without,  and,  in  a seducing  way,  bringing  the 
church  into  league  with  the  world,  and  making  it  (the 
church)  comfortable  in  the  world  that  crucifled  its  Lord. 
It  is  social  amalgamation,  with  all  its  corruptions,  with 


264 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


heathen  of  high  rank.  For  these  were  the  ones  whom 
theBalaamites  courted.  But  the  Nicolaitanes  courted  the 
people.  And  the  mystic  element  in  this  evil  was  accept- 
able  to  the  Pergamenes,  to  whom  religion  was  the  chief 
amusement,  as  well  as  the  chief  business  of  life.  It 
hence  was  a snare  to  the  people,  to  entrap  them  into  the 
church,  and  to  the  new  converts,  to  draw  them  to  a sect 
which  admitted  that  so  much  of  idolatry  (or  conformity 
to  the  world)  was  lawful.  In  Ephesus  this  sect  had  prac- 
ticed their  deeds.  But  these  were  so  hateful  to  the  church 
that  the  persons  had  been  driven  out.  The  attempt  to 
obtain  a foothold  for  the  teaching  had  completely 
failed.  But  the  persons  had  been  permitted,  if  not  wel- 
comed at  Pergamum.  What  they  had  done  there,  they, 
here,  boldly  avow,  and  teach  as  doctrine.  All  conceal- 
ment is  laid  aside,  and  those  crafty  and  wicked  sophisms 
which  blinded  the  mind,  cauterized  the  conscience  and 
perverted  the  moral  sense,  were  openly  proclaimed. 

Both  were  emissaries  of  Satan.  Both  proclaimed 
laxness  as  to  the  law,  and  gave  personal  license  and 
temptation  to  others  to  sin.  Both  were  antinoinians  and 
seducers.  Both  sought  to  bring  the  church  into  un- 
hallowed association  with  the  world.  This  showed  that 
both  were  against  Christ.  .For  the  Church  was  called 
to  be  the  witness  at  once  of  man’s  sin,  misery  and  need, 
and  of  God’s  abounding  love  and  grace  in  providing  for 
man  a salvation,  free,  full  and  eternal.  When  it,  then, 
has  fellowship  with  the  world  in  its  things,  and  walks 
according  to  its  ways,  the  position  of  witness-bearing  is 


i?HE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


256 


lost.  And  when  that  is  gone,  all  is  gone.  This  is,  in 
one  aspect  of  it,  bronght  out  in  Jesus’  warning  word. 
He  shows  that  the  first  point  of  divergence  from  the 
truth  is  laxity  of  conduct  in  connection  with  tlie  profes- 
sion of  grace,  and  refusal  to  submit  to  Himself  as  The 
Head  of  the  Church.  And  the  tendencies  being  pointed 
out  the  final  issues  can  be  readily  discerned. 

This  deteriorating  process  He  would  stop  in  its  very 
beginning.  Hence  His  great  word,  “Repent.”  It  is  a 
call  to  the  church  to  repent  of  its  sin  in  tolerating,  in 
having  anything  to  do  with  these  sins,  and  to  repent  in 
cleansing  the  church  from  them,  and  in  testifying 
against  them  faithfully  and  fearlessly.  This  is  disci- 
pline, and  it  is  painful.  The  persons  may  have  many 
amiable  qualities,  and  they  may  be  sincere.  But  their 
principles  and  practices  are  corrupting,  and  much  as 
the  heart  may  shrink  from  the  necessity,  the  honor  and 
holiness  of  God’s  House  must  be  maintained.  And  if 
a subject  of  such  vital  importance  be  ignored  by  the 
church,  then,  said  Jesus,  “I  will  come,  and  1 will  fight 
against  them,  Balaamites  and  Nicolaitanes,  with  the 
sword  of  My  mouth.”  A humiliation  for,  a tribulation 
to  the  church.  It  feels  the  stroke  which  it  should  have 
infiicted.  The  word  was  startling,  but  unheeded.  The 
carnal  security  continued  unbroken.  The  judgment 
fell,  and  the  church  withered  away. 


The  Letter  to  the 
church  in  Thyatira. 


The  fourth  Letter  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  church  in 
Thyatira,  a provincial  town 


256 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


on  the  river  Lyons,  lay  on  the  fine  road  connecting 
Sardis  and  Pergamnm,  and  distant  from  the  former  36 
and  from  the  latter  58  miles.  It  was  on  and  close  to 
the  borders  of  Ionia  and  Mysia,  and  was  reckoned 
sometimes  in  the  one,  sometimes  in  the  other.  It  was 
founded  by  Selucus  Nicator  with  a Macedonian  colony; 
and  that  element  at  the  opening  of  the  Christian  era 
preponderated,  and  gave  a distinct  character  to  the  pop- 
ulation. After  its  subjection  to  the  Romans  many  cor- 
porate guilds  flourished,  among  which  that  of  the  dyers 
is  especially  mentioned.  But  though  the  roads  were 
good,  the  region  fertile,  the  waters  famed  for  dyeing 
purposes,  and  the  dyers  gave  some  importance  to  the 
town,  it  never  was  a place  of  any  great  commercial  im- 
portance. It  scarcely  ever  appears  in  history,  and  is  to- 
day a wretched  village,with  scarcely  a decent  house  (save 
the  governor’s),  and  where  poverty,  ignorance  and  deg- 
radation abound.-^ 

When  and  by  whom  the  church  was  founded  is  not 
known.  But  it  and  the  place  were  known  to  the  Cliurch 
at  large  by  one  fact  which  has  given  to,both  an  imperish- 
able renown.  It  was  the  birthplace  and  homef  of  Lyd- 
ia, the  flrst  Gentile  convert  to  Jesus  in  Philippi.  And, 
doubtless,  when  she  returned  home  she,  to  those  of  her 
guild,  (the  dyers),  and  to  others,  made  known  the  gospeh 
Perhaps  she  was  the  first  one  to  carry  it  to  Thyratira, 

[*Of  its  population  of  about  1000,  300  or  400  are  Greek  and 
Armenian  christians.J 

[t“Of  the  city,”  <&c.  Acts  xvi,.  14.] 


THYATIRA 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


257 


was  among  the  constituent  members  when  the  church 
was  founded,  and  was  a zealous  and  successful  worker 
in  promoting  its  interests,  and  in  diffusing  the  gospel 
in  the  city. 

During  many  years  the  church,  and  so  its  history, 
was  a noble  one.  Its  true  life,  and  strong,  was  mani- 
fested  in  ^‘love  and  faith,  in  service  and  patience,  and  in 
first  and  last  works”  (vs.  19).*  The  love  was  the  chief 
characteristic,  and  it  was  genuine  to  God,  to  man  and 
to  each  other.  It  had  its  roots  and  channel  of  nourish- 
ment in  ‘‘the  faith,”  so  flowed  from  a pure  heart,  and 
was  allied  to  a pure  conscience(l  Tim.  i,  5).  It  expressed 
itself  in  a deaconship  service  (diakonian)^  that  is  in  a 
living  help  to  the  members  of  the  church,  the  sick,  the 
poor,  the  strangers,  and  to  all  others  that  needed  it,  so 
far  as  this  could  be  done.  Not  fitfully,  but  steadily.  For 
this  is  shown  in  the  “patience:”  here,  not  the  passive 
endurance,  as  in  Pergamum,  of  persecution — for  no  per- 
secution  is  alluded  to — but  the  active  patience,  seen  in 
steadfastness  in  good  works  (Rom.  ii,  7).  And  the 
steady  and  healthful  growth  of  the  church — seen  in  the 
call  for  these — called  for  more  of  such  works;  and  the 
call  was  gladly  responded  to:  “thy  last  works  are  more,” 
in  number  and  importance,  “than  the  first.” 

Such  was  the  church  in  its  palmy  days,  and  such  it 
continued  through  we  know  not  how  many  years.  But 

[*The  definite  article,  teen  before  love,  &c.,  and  the  position  of 
the  80u^  thy  after  each  of  the.  four  words  show  that  they  are  ex- 
planatory of  the  “works.”  | 


258 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


decline  began,  and  then  decay  set  in.  The  grip  on 
Divine  truth  was  not  so  firm.  The  following  of  Jesus 
was  not  so  close  and  steady.  The  world  began  to  get 
a hold  on  the  heart,  then  in  a measure  to  control  the 
life.  The  standard  of  truth  was  lowered,  then  of  holi- 
ness of  life.  Then  the  vicror  and  zeal  of  witness-bear- 
ing  by  voice  and  in  life  disappeared,  and  the  way  was 
opened  for  the  energetic  activity  of  evil. 

And  that  evil  appeared.  It  was  embodied  in  a 
woman.  Her  symbolic  name,  Jezebel  (which  may  also 
have  been  her  real  name),  indicates  that  she  was  a 
heathen  at  heart,  and  it  the  Alex,  reading,  ^‘thy  wife,’^ 
be  correct,  then  she  was  introduced  into  the  church  by 
marriage.  The  symbolic  points  to  the  historic  Jesebel^ 
In  her  we  see  typed  the  characteristics  of  this  woman 
And  comparing  the  two  histories,  and  judging  from  the 
tone  and  substance  of  the  Letter,  she  seems  as  fascinat- 
ing in  manners,  as  imperious  in  will,  as  designing  in 
purpose,  as  the  other  Jezebel  had  been;  and  as  strong  in 
determination  also  to  substitute  the  impurities  of 
heathenism  and  the  wild  orgies  of  life  for  the  purity  of 
of  the  gospel,  and  to  undermine  the  worship  of  God  by 
the  worship  of  nature,  as  the  other  Jezebel  had  been  to 
displace  the  worship  of  Jehovah  by  the  worship  of  Baal 
Of  princely  birth,  perhaps,  well  educated,  proud,  and 
possessed  of  that  mysterious  something  which  makes 
individuals  personally  influential,  she  was  fitted  to  ob- 
tain an  ascendency.  In  her,  strong  mental  qualities 
were  united  with  flerce  fanaticism  and  licentious  and 


•THE  HOLY  LETTEK8. 


259 


idolatrous  tastes  and  habits.  Her  appearance  marked 
a turning  point  in  the  history  of  the  church  in  Thyatira, 
as  did  that  of  the  other  Jezebel  in  the  history  of  Is- 
rael. Possibly,  at  first  she  concealed  her  principles. 
Certainly,  in  uniting  with  the  church,  it  was  only  to  the 
outward  organization,  not  to  ‘‘the  one  body.”  But  ani- 
mated with  fanatical  zeal  for  her  idolatries,  and  indif- 
ferent, if  not  hostile  to  Jesus,  she  began  to  promulgate 
her  principles.  Not  at  first  fully,  but — for  so  the 
phrase  “time  to  repent”  suggests — with  an  admixture 
of  truth  with  her  paganism.  The  church  lacked  the 
spiritual  vision  to  detect,  or  the  energy  of  faith  to  de- 
nounce and  throw  out  the  subtle  poison.  We  see 
nothing  of  that  hatred  of  the  teaching  which  we 
saw  in  the  Ephesian  church  against  the  Nico- 
laitanes’  deeds.  By  the  fascination  of  her  life,  the 
power  of  her  will,  and  the  substance  of  her  teaching, 
the  gratification  of  the  gross  but  powerful  lusts  of  the 
flesh,  she  overcame  all  murmuring.  She  called  herself 
a prophetess,  was  recognized  as  such,  and  taught  as  such, 
surely  by  the  inspiration  of  Satan,  in  whose  service  all 
her  intellectual  and  moral  powers  were  employed.  And 
when  once  she  was  recognized  as  being  in  this  exalted 
position  of  prophetess,  she  unblushingly  taught  Christ’s 
servants,  by  precept  and  example,  “to  commit  fornica- 
tion, and  to  eat  things  offered  to  idols.”  And,  asunder 
the  terrible  influence  of  the  historic  Jezebel,  Israel  apos- 
tatized until  only  “4000  were  left  who  had  not  bowed 
the  knee  to  Baal,”  so  under  the  teaching  and  pretended 


260 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 

inspiration  of  this  woman,  not  only  were  God’s  servants 
seduced  to  commit  fornication  and  to  eat  things  sacri- 
ficed to  idols,”  but  a whole  party  (“thy  children”)  was 
born  of  this  corruption,  high  in  position,  influential  in 
character,  large  in  numbers  and  most  corrupting.  And 
when  this  Letter  was  sent,  this  J ezebel  as  really  (though 
not  apparently)  held  the  position  and  influence  of  au- 
thority,  as  had  the  historic  J ezebel  in  Israel. 

Here  is  a terrible  advance  in  evil  beyond  what  was  in 
Pergamum.  There,  was  Balaam,  the  first  Old  Testa- 
ment type  of  the  heathenish  seductions  that  found  their 
way  into  the  Church.  Personal  gratifications,  not 
hatred  to  God  and  His  people,  were  the  actuating  mo- 
tives. He  was  outside.  He  had  only  gotten  some 
Pergamene  members  to  hold  this  doctrine  without,  so 
far  as  the  narrative  shows,  carrying  them  into  practice. 
And  that  was  bad  enough.  But  here  is  something  still 
worse.  We  see  Jezebel  inside.  Balaamism,  in  the  more 
important  and  influential  church  in  Pergamum,  may 
have  projected  its  baleful  influence  into  Thyatira,  and 
thus  opened  the  way.  J ezebel  may  even  have  belonged 
to  the  Balaamites  there.  But  whether  or  not,  here  she 
is  in  the  church,  firmly  established,  teaching  shocking 
things  and  exerting  a disastrous  influence,  with  the 
full  consent*  of  the  church.  She  permits  her  own  chil- 
dren to  be  seduced  into  licentiousness  and  idolatry.  She 
permits  Jezebel,  further,  to  be  so  much  at  home  in  her 


[^A^Tieis^  see  Liddell  and  Scott,  under  Ajphieemi^  IV.] 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


261 


pale,  that  children  are  born  of  the  corruption ; find  both 
their  birth-place  and  home  in  her  own  sacred  enclosure. 
Terrible  indeed  is  this!  She  thus  becomes  partaker  of 
JezebePs  sin,  and  so,  morally  responsible  for  it.  And 
to  add  to  the  aggravations  and  heineousness  ofjthese  sins, 
time  had  been  given  her  to  repent,  and  admonitions 
had  not  been  wanting.  But  the  latter  had  been  utterly 
disregarded,  the  former  unimproved.  . “She  willeth 
not  to  repent  of  her  fornication.’’  This  had  been 
taught  and  practiced  so  long,  that  the  call  to  repent- 
ance was  absolutely  refused.  More  terrible  this  than 
even  the  sin.  It  shows  the  thoroughly  evil  condition 
of  the  church.  The  other  Jezebel  had  led  Israel  into 
apostacy  so  pervading,  that  it  could  not  be  removed  ex- 
cept by  the  overthrow  ot  the  nation.  What  this  Jeze- 
bel  had  been  to  Israel,  the  symbolic  Jezebel  was  to  this 
church.  Through  her,  paganism  had  so  intertwined 
and  confounded  itself  with  the  church  that  they  two 
could  not  be  separated.  Corrupted  through  and 
through,  the  church  had  no  right,  no  power  to  exist  as 
an  expression  of  God.  Nothing  remained  but  defini- 
tive, unsparing  and  destructive  judgment. 

This  was  the  situation  when  this  Letter  was  received. 
In  it  Jesus  introduces  Himself  by  a title  and  predicates 
which  are  the  ground  at  once  of  His  right  to  act,  and 
of  His  pronounced  judgment  upon  Jezebel  and  the 
church,  and  of  His  promise  to  “the  rest.”  The  title, 
“The  Son  of  God,”  declares  His  personal  glory,  and  His 
identity  with  “The  King,”  who  shall  rule  with  a rod  of 


262 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


iron  (Ps.  ii),  and  with  the  “Him’’  who  is  the  source  and 
sovereign  support  of  life  and  liberty  (Jn.  v;  viii,  36). 
The  one  predicate  “His  eyes  are  as  a flame  of  Are,” 
which  points  back  to  i,  14,  shows  the  all-searching  and 
consuming  character  of  this  visitation;  and  the  other, 
“His  feet  like  flne  brass,”  the  pure,  unbending,  un- 
changeable character  of  that  righteousness  which  He 
manifests  when  He  judges,  and  the  strength  and  ease 
with  which  he  carries  it  out  in  treading  down  those 
who  think  to  do  as  they  please,  and  who  try  to  tread 
Him  down. 

Tlien  follows  the  commendation,  which  we  have 
studied,  of  the  life  and  works  of  the  church  in  her  palmy 
days  of  purity,  and  which — if  the  “the  last,  &c.”  belong 
to  the  then  present — were  still  maintained  by  “the 
rest,”  in  spite  of  the  abounding  corruption.  And  then 
comes  the  word  of  denunciation,  which,  coupling  the 
sin  with  Jezebel’s  name,  was  both  startling  and  terrible. 
“I  have  against  thee  because  {liott)  thou  perrnittest,  &c.” 
Her  teaching,  conduct,  influence  and  their  results  we 
have  seen.  The  time  to  pronounce  judgment  has  come. 
And  this  distinguishes  between  her  and  her  children  on 
the  one  hand,  and  those  in  the  church,  the  “My  ser- 
vants” who,  seduced  by  her,  had  become  partakers  in 
her  adulteries,  on  the  other.  “Behold”  (the  word  call- 
ing the  attention  to  something  unexpected  and  terrible) 
“1  cast  her”  (against  her  will)  “into  a bed”  of  torment. 
“And  her  children” — those  springing  from  this  corrup- 
tion, the  recipients  of  her  teaching,  her  adherents  and 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


263 


successors,  those  deriving  their  moral  existence  from 
her — “I  will  kill  with  death'’ — the  Hebraistic  form  ot 
expression  indicating  a physical  death,  awful,  sudden, 
violent,  and  judicial.  The  heinousness  ol  the  sin  was 
declared  in  the  suddenness  and  severity  of  the  punish- 
ment. 

To  her,  no  further  opportunity  to  repent,  to  them, 
none  at  all  was  given.  But  to  those  who  had  been  se- 
duced by  her,  the  “My  servants,”  wdio,  though  partak- 
ers of  her  sin,  had  not  aided  her  directly  in  the  spread 
of  the  corruption,  this  opportunity  was  given.  They 
had  committed  adultery  with  her,  so  were  guilty.  If 
they  saw  this,  listened  to  His  admonition,  and  speedily 
and  thoroughly  repented  of  her  works,*  in  which  they 
had  joined,  they  would  be  forgiven  and  restored.  But 
if  not  they  would  be  “cast  into  great  tribulation.” 

And  by  this  two-lold  action  “all  the  churches,”  t,  ^., 
of  Asia,  and,  since  these  are  types  and  representatives, 
all  churches  of  all  ages  until  Jesus  comes,  “shall 
know  that  I am  He  who  searcheth  the  reins  and  heart.” 
This  application  to  Himself  of  this  Old  Testament  dec- 
laration of  Jehovah,  shows  His  possession  of  Divine 
omniscience  and  of  Divine  righteousness.  By  His  ac- 
tion in  the  churches  as  He  walks  in  the  midst  of  them, 
He  teaches  them  that  with  the  holy  light  of  God  He 
searches  all  tracks  and  windings,  and  all  the  movements 

\_*Autee8  toon  ergoon^  not  their ^ as  in  E.  V.  They  were  Jesus’ 
servants,  but  had  been  victims  of  her  temptations,  and  had  allowed 
themselves  in  her  works.] 


264 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


of  the  thoughts  and  affections,  and  judges  all  impurity, 
even  when  arrayed  in  the  garb  of  sanctity.  And  to  all 
who  are  involved  in  any  known  evil,  He  “give  to  every 
one  of  you  according  to  your  works,”  not  merely  those 
of  the  visible  life,  but  also  those  of  the  hidden  life,  the 
inward,  real  acts  and  thoughts  seen  only  by  the  all-see- 
ing  and  all- piercing  Eye.* 

There  is  another,  the  third  class,  specified.  They 
are  called  the  tois  loipois^  the  rest^  the  remaining  ones.^ 
This  is  the  first  time  that  such  a phrase  is  found  in  the 
Letters.  It  sets  this  company,  which  is  in  the  church 
by  themselves,  as  apart  from  the  church.  It  recognizes 
that  the  church’s  drift  and  movement  go  on  without 
them,  that,  so  far  as  these  are  concerned,  they  are  in  a 
hopeless  minority,  and  uninfluential.  These  are  the 
faithful  few  as  distinguished  from  the  mass.  Them 
Jesus  thus  describes:  “as  many  as  have  not  this  teach- 
ing,” i.  e.,  of  Jezebel,  “such  as  ( oitines)  have  not 
known  {egnoosan)  the  depths  {pathecb)^  of  Satan,  rs 
they  say,”  i.  as  they  call  them.  They  had  not,  and 
would  not  have  anything  to  do  with  the  corrupting,  the 
apostacy-producing  teaching  of  Jezebel.  Even  tlie 
boast  ol  the  depths  of  knowledge  which  could,  as  they 

[*The  “you”  and  the  “your”  of  vs.  23,  refer  to  those  involved  in 
the  corruption,  and  not  to  the  “rest”  of  vs.  24.] 

I fThe  words,  “and  unto”  of  vs.  24,  are  a gloss,  and  are  to  be  re- 
jected. The  “you”  is  in  the  Greek,  in  the  plural,  and  refer  to  the 
“the  rest.”  It  is  they,  not  the  church  nor  its  angel,  that  is  ad- 
dressed.] 

[ JThe  word  may  mean  places^  or  things^  or  both.  See  Liddell 
and  Scott,  sub  wee,'] 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


265 


said,  be  obtained,  and  only  in  this  way,  did  not  move 
them.  ‘‘Depths,”  these  were,  but,  as  Jesus  characterized 
them,  “of  Satan.”  And  such  they  were.  For — so  the 
teaching  was — in  giving  the  body  to  lust,  but  keeping 
the  soul  clean  from  it,  one  defied  Satan  in  his  own  do- 
main.  This  knowledge,  which  undermined  the  call  to 
holiness  these  would  not  have;  nor  knowledge  of  sin  by 
indulging  in  it.  They  would  have  no  knowledge,  but  of 
good,  and  so  they  kept  themselves  clear  from  the  sur- 
rounding evil. 

This  perfect  content  with  the  knowledge  of  Christ  in 
doctrine,  life,  privilege  and  hope,  and  this  entire  absti- 
nence from  all  complicity  with  the  abounding  and  pop- 
ular evil  was  very  blessed,  and  strongly  commended. 
They  needed  support  and  comfort,  and  this  they  received. 
They  were  not  told  to  withdraw  from  the  church  because 
it  had  become  so  corrupt.  Nor  were  they  told  to  labor 
for  its  purity,  or  to  get  Jezebel  and  her  followers  out. 
Nor  were  they  held  responsible  for  the  evil.  The  corrup- 
tion from  which  they  had  kept,  and  must  keep,  them- 
selves wholly  free,  was  a burden  of  sorrow  which  they 
must  bear.  And  this,  Jesus  considered  burden  enough. 
‘‘I  will  not  throw  upon  you  any  other  burden.”  “But,” 
He  adds,  “that  which  ye  have,”  of  truth  and  holy  living, 
“hold  fast”  in  its  entirety,  and  by  a determined  grasp, 
renewed  every  moment,^  “till  I come.”  You  cannot 
remove  the  evil,  but  do  not  yield  to  it.  Be  steadfast  in 
the  truth,  till,  not  death  but,  I come.  This  coming  it 


[♦This  is  the  meaning  of  the  first  aorist,  imperative,  Kmteesote.'] 


266 


THE  HOLT  LETTERS* 


The  Letter  to  the 
church  in  Sardis. 


was  that  which  was  held  up  before  them  by  Jesus  Him- 
self, as  the  bright  and  blessed  hope. 

The  fifth  Letter  was  to  the 
church  in  Sardis,  the  ancient  cap- 
ital of  Lydia.  It  was  once  pop- 
ulous, powerful  and  magnificent.  Now  it  is  in  ruins. 
These  lie  in  a miserable  solitude  where  no  house  stands, 
and  where  no  human  being  lives.  But  they  attract  the 
attention  of  the  archselogist,  and  mutely  tell  of  the  en- 
terprise, wealth  and  culture  of  art  of  the  city  in  its 
palmy  days.  And  the  few  filthy  and  stupid  Turks  with 
the  few  men  who  bear  the  name  of  Christians,  and  whom 
the  Turks  keep  all  day  at  work,  both  of  which  live  in  the 
wretched  hamlet  of  Sert,  near  the  ruins,  are  all  that  is  left 
to  remind  one  of  the  great  kings  and  mighty  men  who 
once  made  this  region  their  home.  Trees  grow  where 
once  stood  the  banqueting  halls  ot  kings  and  conquerors. 
The  palace  of  Croesus,  once  honored  by  the  presence  of 
%ich  eminent  men  as  Thales  and  Solon,  is  but  dust. 
And  heaps  of  ruins  are  all  that  is  left  of  the  great 
tombs  of  monarchs  and  men  of  renown.  It  seems  as  if 
the  whole  region  was  lying  under  sojaie  awful  curse. 

But  when  this  Letter  was  sent,  Sardis  still  stood,  a 
large  and  wealthy  city,  having  about  it  much  of  its 
former  splendor.  It  lay  on  the  small  river,  Pactolus, 
just  below  the  range  ot  Tmolus,  on  a spur  of  which  its 
acropolis  was  built.  It  was  33  miles  from  Thyatira  and 
28  from  Philadelphia.  It  was  the  residence  of  the 
kings  of  Lydia,  one  of  whom,  Croesus,  obtained  a world. 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


267 


wide  fame  from  the  vastness  of  his  wealth,  and  miserable 
end.  Its  original  inhabitants  were  Lydians,  descendants 
from  Lnd,  son  of  Shem,  and  were  distinguished  for 
their  warlike  qualities,  their  activity,  energy  and  enter- 
prise. The  city,  naturally  strong,  was  strongly  fortified. 
It  was  a great  commercial  center,  made  such  by  its 
convenient  position,  very  fertile  surrounding  country, 
nearness  to  the  auriferous  sands  of  Pactolus,  and  by  the 
intelligent  business  activity  of  its  citizens.  Its  manu- 
factures were  varied.  The  dyeing  of  wool  was  there 
first  successfully  accomplished,*  and  woolen  fabrics 
were  made  of  a peculiarly  firm  texture.  There,  gold 
and  silver  coins  were  first  minted,  and  stationary  traders 
as  distinguished  from  traveling  merchants  first  were 
seen.  And  its  trade  in  gold  for  a long  time  gave  it  a 
world  fame.  It  had  many  stately  structures,  both 
public  and  private.  The  massive  temple  of  Cybele  still 
bears  witness,  in  its  fragments,  to  the  wealth  and 
architectural  skill  of  the  people.  And  the  pleasure 
ground,  ‘‘the  Yalley  of  Sweets,”  still  stood  unrivalled, 
even  after  Polycrates’  endeavor  to  eclipse  its  glory  and 
fame  by  the  Laura  at  Samos. 

No  information  has  come  down  to  us  of  the  time 
when,  or  of  the  persons  by*whom,  Cl|ristianity  was  intro- 
duced into  Sardis.  But  that  the  church  became  a large, 
wealthy  and  influential  one,  this  Letter  shows  f From 

[^That  is  wool  apart  from  the  skins.  The  dyeing  of  the  skins 
was  done  by  the  laraelites  when  in  the  wilderness.  Ex.  xxxv,  7.] 

[t?o  does  the  fact  that  by  the  middle  of  the  second  century  it 
was  the  seat  of  a bishopric,  Melito  b^ing  the  bishop;  the  fact,  also. 


268 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


it  we  gather  that  this  church  was  orthodox  in  doctrine, 
punctilious  in  the  observance  of  the  forms,  and  decorous 
in  the  acts  of  worship,  active  in  benevolence, conservative 
in  tone,  and  strong  in  its  hold  upon  business  and  social 
circles.  It  lived  on  such  terms  with,  that  is  was  not 
molested  by,  the  heathen.  It  was  free  from  scandals. 
It  was  not  distracted  by  strifes  nor  suffering  from 
persecution,  nor  troubled  with  the  presence  of  Balaamites 
and  Nicolaitanes,  nor  from  the  teaching  of  Jezebel.  And 
if  it  had  annual  reports  like  churches  now  have,  these,  by 
their  showing  of  the  highly  prosperous  condition  of 
things,  financial  and  external,  must  have  given  great 
satisfaction  to  the  congregation,  and  have  called  forth 
the  liveliest  demonstrations  of  delight.  These  reports 
would  be  the  showing  of  things  as  man  looks  at  them, 
and  just  about  as  near  to  accuracy  when  estimated  in 
in  the  judgment  of  God  as  such  reports  usually  are. 
The  church  was  metropolitan  in  influence,  if  not  in  po- 
sition. It  gave  a high  social  standing  to  its  members. 
Able  to  command  the  finest  talent,  it  gave  prominence 
and  prestige  to  its  pastor.  It  was  regarded  as  a model 
church. 

Such  was  it  as  regarded  by  men  when  this  Letter 
was  written.  Such,  so  some  historical  hints  suggest,  it 
continued  for  years  afterwards — a fact  which  shows 

that  more  than  one  Christian  Council  was  held  there;  and  the 
inscription,  setting  forth  that  the  building  on  which  it  was  in- 
scribed bad  been  a heathen  temple,  but  had  been  changed,  accord- 
ing to  an  imperial  decree,  into  a huspital  for  the  sick  and  poor. 
Brookin’s  Greek  Ins.^  No.  8645,  Vol.  II,  fase.  2.) 


269 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 

that  a church  may  long  exist,  orthodox,  outwardly 
active,  and  seemingly  alive,  but  really  dead.  Compar- 
ing its  condition  with  a Spirit-filled  church  (see  Acts  ii), 
one  would  say  that  the  outward  correctness  was  there, 
but  that  the  heart  was  away  from  the  love  and  honor 
of  the  Lord.  The  church  was,  spiritually,  a worn  out 
thing. 

To  it  Jesus  introduces  Himself  as  ‘‘He  who  has 
{echoon  having^  the  seven  Spirits  of  God,  and  the 
seven  stars.”  The  stars  represent  the  angels  of  the 
churches  (i,  20),  and  His  having  them  in  his  hand  shows 
that  He  has  the  control  and  disposal  of  them.  And 
the  phrase,  “seven  Spirits  of  God,”  expresses  the 
Divine  fulness  of  The  Spirit,  His  sevenfold  operations 
according  to  the  work  to  be  done.^  This  fulness  and 
variety  of  the  power  of  The  Spirit,  in  all  the  variety  of 
His  ministrations,  Jesus  has  as  The  head  of  the  Church* 
He,  hence,  has  all  fulness  of  knowledge  in  reference  to 
it,  and  all  power  to  do.  Whatever  fails,  God  cannot. 
He  is  faithful  to  His  truth  and  to  those  called  to  the 
fellowship  of  His  Son. 

Having  made  Himself  known  by  attributes  appro- 
priate to  the  condition  of  the  church.  He  went  on:  “I 
know  thy  works,”  in  their  quantity,  quality  and  variety. 
And  these  were  such  as  to  give  the  impression,  strongly 
self-cherished,  that  the  church  was,  as  it  had  the  name 
of  being,  a living  church:  “that  thou  hast  a name  that 

[*This  seems  to  be  indicated  by  the  “before  the  throne”  of  i,  4, 
and  iv,  5,  and  the  “sent  forth  into  all  the  earth”  of  v,  6.) 


270 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


thou  livest.’^  Its  reputation  in  the  city  and  among 
the  churches,  tor  vitality  was  very  high.  For  soundness 
of  creed,  interest  in  worship,  strictness  in  morals,  and 
activity  in  works,  it  was  spoken  of  as  a model  church. 
These,  with  the  absence  of  false  teaching,  were  gen- 
erally regarded  as  manifestations  of  a peculiarly  strong 
and  healthy  life.  And  such  ought  every  church  to 
have.  For  in  Jesus  are  all  resources  for  all  its  needs. 
There  is  no  excuse  then  for  a true  church  not  being 
always  a living  church. 

But  what  an  enormous  distance,  what  an  abyss 
between  the  appearance  and  the  reality!  In  man’s 
judgment  its  members  seemed  men  of  faith,  whose 
heart  was  tuned  to  the  melody  of  grace,  and  who 
breathed  the  atmosphere  of  Heaven.  But  Jesus’ 
judgment  was,  “Thou  art  dead.” 

A startling  statement,  a terrible  word!  The  church, 
alive  as  to  external  growth,  and  strong  in  some  direc- 
tions, had  no  desire  for  the  presence  and  work  of  Jesus 
flaming  and  glowing  in  the  heart.  It  was  filled  with  the 
world.  The  members  were  like  garnished  graves  full 
ot  dead  men’s  bones  and  all  uncleanness.  They  had 
faith,  but  it  was  foul  with  spiritual  defilement.  No 
doctrinal  error  was  in  the  creed,  no  breaking  down  in 
the  outward  morality.  But  the  conscience  slumbered. 
Hence  there  was  no  conscience  work.  And,  by  a law 
of  our  being,  degeneration  of  subjective  obedience  must 
be  followed  by  degeneration  in  the  objective.  Dead 
orthodoxy  becomes  betrodoxy,  sinks  doctrine  into  doc- 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


271 


trines,  and  the  first  fresh  reception  of  truth  into  for- 
mulated articles.  These,  rather  than  God,  were  the 
object  of  faith.  Hence,  there  was  no  growth  up  into 
Him,  the  Head.  The  heart  not  being  true  to  God 
could  not  be  true  to  man,  could  notact  healthfully  upon 
the  conscience  of  others.  Ephesus  had  left  its  first  love. 
Fergamum  had  those  who  held  the  doctrine  of  the 
Nicolaitanes.  Thyatira  permitted  Jezebel  to  teach. 
But  here  worldliness  and  indifference  to  spirituality 
had  exerted  so  deadening  an  infiuence,  that  there  was 
not  life  enough — for  the  appearance  of  errors  implies 
life — even  to  be  agitated  by  or  about  an  error.  It  was 
a condition  of  spiritual  slumber  so  near  to  death  as  to 
be  almost  past  recovery.  And  had  the  fires  of  per- 
secution burst  out  fiercely,  or  formidable  temptations 
come,  the  sudden  collapse  of  the  splendid  things  would 
have  shown  its  worthlessness. 

Well  might  The  Master  address  the  church  with 
His  next  words. 

1st,  have  found  no  works  of  thine  completed 
[pepLeeroomena^  filled  up  to  the  full^  before  My  God.” 
Full,  in  contrast  with  deficiency,  in  the  impelling  cause, 
not  in  the  appearance.  They  lack  in  the  tone,  in  purit 
and  sincerity.  Not  one  of  all  the  works,  no  matter 
how  much  admired  by  men,  was  such  as  to  work, 
measure  or  quality  as  God  approves.  They  did  not 
answer  to  the  works  which  God  had  ordained  (Eph.  ii, 
10),  nor  to  what  He  had  done.  They  did  not  come  up 
to  the  measure  of  the  grace  received,  nor  to  what  was 


272 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


expected  from  the  use  of  that  grace.  They  were  not 
wrought  from  living  faith,  nor  to  the  Divine  glory. 
Jesus,  hence,  could  not  put  the  stamp  of  the  Divine 
approval  upon  them.  And  God-approved  works  being 
the  phenomena  of  the  God-given  life,  this  word  shows 
what  was  the  condition  of  the  life.  A great  word,  this, 
for  all.  Having  such  a standard,  it  is  a terrible  thing 
to  settle  down  into  self-complacencies.  Better  to  fail, 
aiming  at  the  standard,  than  to  seem  to  succeed  by 
lowering  it.  The  one  pleases,  the  other  displeases,  God. 

2d,  ^‘Become  thou  watching.”  Awake,  and  keep 
awake — a sign  of  life  in  activity  (Eph.  v,  10) — and 
then  ^^strengthen,  ta  lotjpa  {neuter)^  the  remaining 
things^  That  is,  those  things  still  left  you  of  the 
things  which  constitute  the  true  vitality  of  the  church. 
These  are  the  remnants.  These,  too,  ‘^were  about 
{emelleih)  to  die.”  If  not  strengthened  by  an  infusion  ot 
the  new  life  they  would  die.  What  these  remnants 
were  Jesus  does  not  say.  Perhaps  they  were  the  few 
graces  not  yet  wholly  extinct. 

3d,  ^‘Therefore,”  i.  e.  because  no  work  is  found 
complete,  ^‘remember,  how  [jpoos^  how^  i.  <?.,  both 
objectively,  ‘‘after  what  sort,”  and  subjectively,  “with 
what  spirit”)  thou  hast  received  and  heardest”  (aorist, 
pointing  to  the  act  of  hearing),  i.  ^.,  the  gospel.  It 
was,  as  given  by  The  Spirit  to  be  received  and  cherished 
with  faith,  tenderness  and  joy.  Truth  it  then  was, 
when  inner  and  outer  life  were  moulded  by  it,  and  one. 
Truth  it  still  is,  now  when  held  so  heartlessly.  And 


thje  holy  letters. 


273 


that  reception,  not  present  indifference,  is  the  measure 
of  responsibility.  Kemember  this,  and  ^‘hold  fast” 
what  is  not  yet  gone  from  you,  in  such  a way  as  will 
lead  you  to  repentance. 

Then  follows  the  alarming^  threat:  ‘‘If  thou  shalt 
not  watch,”  &c.,  the  word,  here,  including  all  the 
particulars  just  given — and  the  implication  being  that 
the  church  as  a church  would  not  be  watching — “I  will 
come  upon  thee  as  a thief,”  in  an  unexpected  and 
unprepared  for  hour.  Sad  is  the  fact  that  this  churnh, 
with  its  great  name,  had  no  work  which  came  up  to 
the  expectation  of  God,  a fact  which  shows  that  it 
was  reduced  to  the  level  of  the  world.  Sad,  too,  sadder 
if  possible,  that  Jesus’  coming  in  glory  “to  be  seen  of 
all  His  saints,  and  to  be  admired  in  all  them  that  be- 
lieve,” should  be  to  a church  as  unexpected  and  as 
unwelcome  as  the  in-breakinor  of  a thief.  For  it  is  to 

o 

the  world,  not  to  “the  children  of  tlie  day,”  that  such 
is  the  character  of  the  coming  of  Jesus  and  of  “the 
day  of  The  Lord,”  as  delineated  in  the  Apostolic  Letters. 
And  the  tone  of  this  word  to  the  church  in  Sardis  as 
compared  with  that  of  His  same  word  to  His  dear 
followers  (Matt,  xxiv,  43;  Lk.  xii,  39),  is  sadly  minatory. 
The  implication  in  the  word  being  that  the  church  as  a 
church  would  not  watch  for  His  coming.  And  His  use 
of  this  wordf  withHis  simile  of  “a  thief,”  used  by  Him 
only  in  connection  with  His  second  coming,*  shows 

[*Matt.  xxiv,  43;  Lk.  xii,  39.  See  also  1 Thes.  v,  2,  4;  2 Pet.  iii, 
10.  See  on  Jesus’ coming  as  a thief,  Life,  Part  V,  pp.  .] 

r fOne  can  watch  only  by  being  awake.  One  can  keep  awake 
only  according  to  the  interest  felt.  The  heart  grows  tired  of  be- 
ing continually  awake  to  all  that  is  involved  in  watching  daily  for 
Jesus.  When  to  this  we  add  the  powerful  temptation  to  live  in  the 
present  and  let  the  future  go,  and  we  can  see  the  deep  solemnity 
that  is  in  the  word.] 


274 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 

that  it  is  to  that  coming  that  He  refers.  This  was  no 
cheering  prospect.  His  coming  was  an  object  of  terror 
and  dread.  It  was  His  coming,  not  as  the  Bridegroom, 
but  in  judgment,  and,  as  a thief,  giving  no  notice  of  His 
approach.  To  dead  orthodoxy,  and  to  worldly  church 
membership,  both  having  lost  all  true  perception  of  the 
aspects  of  this  coming  as  it  is  related  to  the  christ- 
opposed  world,  the  approach  of  Divine  judgments, 
supposed  to  be  indefinitely  for  off,  will  be  a subject  of 
appalling  horror.  Hence,  the  certainty,  uncertainty 
and  stealthiness  of  this  coming  which  so  profoundly 
affected  the  early  church,  makes  on  them  no  impression. 
And  thus  it  was  at  Sardis. 

This  church  had  no  burden  laid  upon  it.  And  no 
need  of  one;  for  it  and  the  world  understood  each  other. 
Nor  had  it  any  blessing,  but  judgment  only.  But  sad 
as  its  condition  was  spiritually  so  dead,  though  orthodox, 
that  while  collective  Christianity  remained,  promised 
personalities  were  wanting,  yet  even  there  there  were  a 
few,  though  only  a few  names^that  were  singled  out  from 
the  mass,  and  were  known  in  Heaven.  They  had  not 
separated  from  the  church,  and  were  not  called  to  do  so. 
They  were  in,  but  not  of,  that  church.  They  had  the 
characteristics  belonging  to  what  now  is  called  the 
‘‘invisible  church.’’  A sad  distinction ! When  the  true 
church  is  invisible,  what  is  the  visible  church  but  an 
untrue  or  unreal  one?  In  what  respect  does  it  differ 

[^Equivalent  to  persons,  as  in  Actsxii,  15;  Rev.  xi,  13.  The 
church  had  a name  to  live,  but  here  were  names  that  were  names, 
and  more  than  names.] 


THE  HOLT  LETTERS.  275 

from  the  world  save  as  the  home  of  the  true?  The 
existence  of  the  invisible  is  the  condemnation  of  the 
visible.  These  churches  were  called  candlesticks.  Of 
what  value  is  light  hidden  under  a bushel?  It  shines 
there,  but  those  around  do  not  see  it.  The  candlestick 
place  and  power  of  Sardis  were  gone.  So  are  those  ot  any 
church  typed  by  Sardis.  Church  and  pastor  were  alike 
dead.  But  these  few  were  alive.  They  had  not  defiled 
their  garments,  z>.,were  clear,  how?  By  abstaining  whol- 
ly from,  not  corruption,  but  from  the  worldliness,  dead- 
ness and  non-watching  for  Jesus  which  characterized  the 
Church.*  They  recognized  that  the  name  Christian 
had  its  foundation  in  reality.  It  meant  separation  from 
the  world  unto  God.  And  they  acted  accordingly.  The 
eye  was  single,  so  the  whole  body  was  full  of  light. 
Though  unable  to  penetrate  the  darkness  around,  it 
shone  up  to  Heaven.  There  it  was  seen  with  joy. 
And  so  was  the  life,  so  consistent  and  blameless.  The 
quality  was  negative,  but  it  was  very  fine,  and  was  very 
strongly  commended.  It  is  wonderful  to  see  such  a 
life  in  such  a company,  to  see  amid  such  surroundings 
such  a breathing  of  the  atmosphere  of  Heaven.f  The 
church  is  called  upon  to  repent.  But  to  those  sorely 
tried  and  faithful  ones  is  given  a glorious  promise. 
They,  individually,  had  aimed  to  act  faithfully,  and  to 

[*2  Cor.  vii,  1,  sq.;  Eph.  v,  27 ; Jas.  i,  27 ; hi,  6;  2 Pet.  ii,  20.) 

[fThere  is  no  church,  perhaps,  but  what  has  such  “a  few  names.” 
Such  a life  is  proof  of  Jesus’  presence,  and  a greater  evidence  of 
His  truth  and  power  than  any  outward  miracles.] 


276 


THE  HOLT  LETTERS. 


walk  in  purity  on  earth,  and  before  God  should  the  full 
justification  ot  their  ways  be  seen.  , ‘‘They  shall  walk 
with  me  in  white;  for  they  are  worthy.”  Many  prom- 
ises are  included  in  this  one.  That  of  the  highest  glori- 
fication, that  of  the  confession  of  the  name  before  His 
Father,  i.  e.,  in  the  highest  and  most  glorious  circle  of 
life;  and  that  of  the  possession  of  life,  liberty,  purity  and 
power,  eternally.  The  reward  is  appropriate  to  the 
conduct.  They  had  walked  here  in  true  separation  from 
the  world.  There  they  were  to  walk  in  immaculate  puri- 
ty, and  to  be  irradiated  with  unutterable  beauty:  they 
would  “shine  as  the  sun.”  They  had  walked  here  with 
Jesus  in  rejection  and  reproach.  They  would  walk  with 
Him  (Jn.  xvii,  24)  there  in  white,  the  color  of  victory, 
and  peculiar  to  Heaven  (Rev.  vi,  11;  vii,  9;  xix,  8). 
Having  kept  the  garment  of  grace  undefiled, they  receive, 
and  walk  in  Heavenly  triumph  in  the  white  robe  of 
glory.  “For  they  are  worthy,”  not  absolutely,  but 
relatively  and  so  pronounced,  because  fit  (Col.  i,  12),  and 
because  of  God’s  gracious  acceptance  of  their  hearty 
obedience  according  to  the  law  of  grace.  Saved  by 
“the  righteousness  of  faith,”  they  were  ^accounted 
worthy*  according  to  “the  righteousness  of  life.”  Saved 
by  grace,  and  faithfully  using  the  grace  given  them  to 
live  aright,  they,  measured  by  the  rules  which  grace 
has  laid  down,  are  rewarded  according  to  their  works 
(Rev.  xvi,  6). 

[♦Worthiness  is  ascribed  to  saints.  See  Matt,  x,  10,  11;  xxii,  8; 

Lk.  XX,  35;  xxi,  36;  2 Thes.  v,  11.] 


f 


PHILiDELPHU' 


I HE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


277 


The  Letter  to  the 
church  in  Philadelphia. 


To  this  church  the  sixth 
Letter  was  addressed.  Thir- 
ty miles  south-east  of  Sart 


(the  ancient  Sardis),  and  seventy  miles  east  of  Smyrna, 
is  the  town  of  It  occupies  the  site  of 

ancient  Philadelphia,  and  its  24  churches  still  recall 
the  church  to  which  this  Letter  was  addressed,  a moun- 
ment,  in  the  mindst  of  ruins,  to  the  faithfulness  of  Grod 
to  His  promises.*  The  situation  is  picturesque.  It  was 
in  the  plain  of  Hormus,  on  the  river  Oogamus,  on  the 
confines  of  Lydia  and  Phrygia,  925  feet  above  the  sea. 
The  climate  was  pleasant  and  healthy.  It  stood  in  a 
great  wine  producing  region.  And  the  wines  of  which 
Philadelphia  was  the  mart  were  famed,  and  had  an 
extensive  sale.  The  inhabitants  were  of  Macedonian 
origin,  and  gave  tone  and  character  to  the  city,  which 
was  built  by  Attains  Philadelphus,  king  of  Pergamos^ 
and  called  after  his  name. 

^ By  whom,  and  when  the  church  was  planted  there, 
is  unknown.  So,  also,  is  its  history,  save  what  we  get  in 
this  Letter.  And  this,  as  we  read  it,  gives  us  praise 
and  no  censure — a fact  which  belongs  to  this  church 
alone,  save  Smyrna.  Unlike  Ephesus,  its^  first  love 
was  glowing;  unlike  Pergamum,  its  fidelity  was  stead- 
fast; unlike  Thyatira,  its  doctrinal  and  moral  purity 

[■^Its  present  population  is  said  to  be  the  purest  in  Asia  Minor. 
Gibbon  says,  “among  the  Greek  church’es  Philadelphia  still  exists, 
a column  in  a scene  of  ruins.  A tall  pillar  still  graces  those  ruins, 
so  that  that  church  appears  like  a symbolized  realization  of  Rev.  iii. 
12.)  (*Eng.  City  of  God.) 


278 


THE  HOLT  LETTERS. 


were  unchallenged;  unlike  Sardis,  its  spiritual  life 
was  growing.  Obscure  among  the  churches,  and 
uninfluential,  it  had  so  abode  in  the  truth  and  light  of 
God  that  it  stood  high  in  Heaven,  and  was  peculiarly 
satisfactory  to,  and  received  the  unstinted  approbation 
of.  The  Lord. 

To  it  He  introduces  Himself  by  personal  appellatives 
which  show  His  moral  character,  and  designations 
which  relates  to  His  Kingship.  These  things  saith  The 
Holy,  The  True,  The  One  having  the  key  of  David.  He 
is  ^'The  Holy,”  not  only  the  absolutely  separated  from 
all  evil  a;nd  positively  right  in  everything,  but  the 
root  and  ground  of  all  hatred  of  sin  and  holiness  ot 
heart  and  life  in  others.  For  it  is  the  name  which 
belongs  to  Jehovah  Himself.*  He  is  ‘‘The  True.” 
Absolute  truth  is  His,  as  contrasted  with,  not  the  false 
merely,  but  the  subordinately  true,  the  partial  and  im- 
perfect realization  of  the  idea.  Idea  and  fact  in  Him 
are  commensurate.f  Being  these.  He  must  delight  to 
see  the  church  realizing  them  in  its  life.  Holiness  and 
truth  are  its  pillars.  He  saw  these  in  this  church.  Its 
moral  character  responded  to  His  moral  attributes. 
“He  hath”  {echoon^  pres,  par.,  has  constantly^)  “the  key 
of  David.  He  opens,  and  none  shuts,  shuts  and  none 
opens.”  The  verb  shows  that  this  key — symbol  of 
authority — Jesus  has  as  His  own  property.  Hence^ 

[^Is.  vi,  3;  xl,  25;  xliii,  15,  &c.) 

[tThe  reader  can  readily  recall  His,  I am  the  “true”  Bread,  true 
Viue,  &c,) 


/NCIENT  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH,  PHIMDEI^PHlA  (ASIA  MINOR  ) 


\* 


/. 


7 


't/:'ii-(}A.^ 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


279 


He  is  David’s  successor,  upon  the  Theocratic  throne,  and 
has  in  His  own  right  all  the  resources  of  that  throne 
under  His  own  control,  and  at  His  own  disposal.  Techni- 
cally, ‘‘the  key  of  David”  controlled  the  access  to  that 
king  (Is.  xxii,  22),  in  whom  royalty  was  first  realized 
in  Israel,*  and  ot  whom  The  one  was  to  come  who  was 
to  sit  upon  his  throne.  This  key,  committed  while 
David  reigned  to  a steward,  Jesus  now  keeps  Himselt. 
He  can  give  access.  He  opens,  and  no  power  can  keep 
out  of  His  Kingdom  those  for  whom  He  opens  it.  He 
shuts,  and  no  power  can  force  in  one  whom  He  excludes. 
Hence  no  Jews  should  rob  them  of  the  Kingdom,  and 
no  world  persecution — for  their  steadfastness  had  been 
proved — of  eternal  blessedness. 

What  a word  of  confidence  and  comfort  to  this  tried 
and  faithful  church,  this  personal,  rather  than  official 
introduction  ot  Himself!  How  already,  before  it 
heard  another  word,  must  this  word  have  cheered  and 
strengthened  it! 

Then  He  went  on:  “I  know  thy  works.”  In  His 
Letter  to  Ephesus,  He  enlarged  on  this  word.  In  the  one 
to  Sardis,  He  notices  the  character  of  the  works,  “not 
perlect,  &c.”  But  here.  He  says  nothing  of  their 
quantity,  kind  or  quality,  as  if  they,  as  well  as  He 
knew  that  in  these  things  they  answered  to  the  grace 
received,  as  if  they  came  from  a heart  occupied  with 
Himself.  This  showed  that  the  church  could  be 


[*He  alone  is  called  “king”  in  the  genealogy  of  Jesus,  Matt,  i.) 


280 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


entrusted  with  still  more  grace  for  service:  ‘‘behold  I 
have  set  before  you  a door  opened,  and  none  can  shut 
it.  And  a comparison  of  this  passage  with  those  where 
a similar  figure  is  used  * shows  that  it  is  a door  of 
access  opened  to  tell  the  story  of  grace,  and  that  this 
opening  would  be  eflPectual.f  And  the  reason  why 
this  door  was  opened  was,  ^^hoti  because^  thou  hast 
little  power  {dunamit^y  It  was  a church  decidedly 
weak  in  the  eyes  of  men,  in  numbers,  social  position 
and  influence,  great  and  learned  men,  and  financial 
resources.  But  this  was  a weakness  without  reproach 
before  The  Lord.  It  had  in  it  no  element  of  unbelief 
or  of  unfaithfulness.  Those  outward  things  never  can 
impart  inward  strength.  But  the  consciousness  of 
one’s  own  weakness,  allied  with  faithfulness  and 
humility,  always  opens  the  way  for  the  strength  ot 
God  to  come  in.  This  reason  for  the  opening  of  the 
door  points  to  a fresh  and  mighty  work  of  The  Spirit 
in  the  church,  resulting  in  conversions.  To  this  reason 
for  opening  the  door,  Jesus  added  two  others:  “thou 
didst  keep  My  word,  and  didst  not  deny  my  name.” 
These  reasons  sufficiently  account  for  the  weakness. 
They  were  true,  were  faithful  to  Jesus,  and  manfully  met 

[*Acts  xiv,  27;  1 Cor.  xvi.  9;  2 Cor.  ii,  12;  Col.  iv,  3;  Rev.  iii, 

20.) 

[fThe  ‘‘key,”&c.,  has  reference  to  the  Kingdom,  and  is  spoken  for 
personal  comfort.  This  “door”  has  reference  to  the  Church,  and  to 
work  for  its  advancement.  The  “key”  was  upon  the  shoulder,  and 
has  reference  to  government  (Is.  xxii,  22;  ix,  6),  but  the  “open 
door”  has  everywhere  in  the  New  Testament  reference  to  grace.) 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


281 


the  consequences;  neglect,  and  petty  and  severer  trials. 
The  written  word  always,  and  specially  in  perilous 
times  when  the  form  without  the  power  of  godliness 
prevails  (2Tim.  iii),  is  our  only  security  through  grace. 
This  word,  this  church  studied,  obeyed,  loved,  and  by  it 
was  nourished.  This  was  one  ot  its  marked  character- 
istics. It  kept  Jesus’  word  in  memory,  heart  and  life, 
as  He  had  kept  His  Father’s,  ‘‘hidden  in  the  heart,” 
and  followed  it  out  in  the  life.  He  calls  it  the  word 
of  ‘My,”  i.  His  owm,  patience.  His  Father’s  w^ord 
called  upon  Him  and  enabled  Him,  to  endure, and  when 
tempted,  firmly  to  resist.  The  fiery  trial  He  endured 
with  uncomplaining  submission,  as  He  does  still  the 
usurpations  of  Satan.  He  had  been  promised,  and  was 
still  patiently  waiting  for  His  Kingdom.  This  church 
was  having  a like  experience.  In  privation,  and  in 
petty  and  severer  persecutions  they  held  fast  to  Jesus’ 
word,  and  kept  waiting  for  His  coming  (i,  9).  They 
looked  not  at  circumstances,  but  up  to  Jesus;  and,  in 
fellowship  with  Him,  were  restful;  for  they  knew  that 
He  would  not  fail  them,  nor  their  heart’s  expectations. 
His  word  was  precious,  so  was  prized.  His  name  was 
precious,  so  was  honored. 

And  this  prominently  appeared  in  some  peculiar 
trial  where  faithfulness  was  put  to  the  test.  Some 
strong  temptation  was  brought  to  bear  upon  them  to 
break  the  word,  and  deny  the  name  of  Jesus.  But  the 
word  was  their  authority,  so  security.  Having  the 
faith  which  overcomes,  and  the  patience  which  waits, 
they  were  not  moved.  “Thou  didst  not  deny”  (aorist, 


282 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


pointing  to  some  special  fact,)  name.’^  The 

church  had  no  pretensions,  no  great  swelling  words,  no 
great  name.  But  far  better,  it  had  holy  living  without 
declensions,  an  invincible  attachment  to  the  word,  and  a 
courageous  confession  of  the  name  of  Jesus.  No 
wonder  that  Jesus  loved  this  church  with  a special 
attachment,  opened  to  it  a well-spring  of  consolation, 
and  gave  it  spiritual  power  and  success  greatly  beyond 
the  measure  of  its  external  power. 

Their  chief  antagonism  seem  to  have  come  from 
a wealthy  and  powerful  synagogue  of  (nominally) 
converted  Jews.*  These  held  that  they  themselves  were 
the  church,  and  despised  these  “little  ones.”  Not 
content,  further,  with  excluding  them  from  the  King, 
dom,  they  shut  the  door  of  approach  to  the  people.  To 
meet  the  last,  Jesus  set  before  them  an  open  door, 
which  none  could  shut.  To  meet  the  first.  He  gave 
the  church  a promise  very  much  larger  in  extent  than  the 
one  given  to  Smyrna  about  the  synagogue  there.  There, 
it  should  not  prevail  (ii,  9,  10).  But  here,  some  of 
the  synagogue  would  be  brought  to  own  Jesus’  des- 
pised disciples.  “Behold” — the  word,  twice  repeated 
in  the  sentence,  calling  attention  to  the  unexpectedness 
of  the  fact — “I  give  [didoOj  present  tense,  at  once,  grace 
to  them  to  come,  and  you  to  receive,)  ek,  from^  the 
synagogue  of  Satan  which  say  they  are  Jews,  but  they 
are  not,  but  do  lie,  behold  I causef  them  that  {hina) 

[*See  pp.  for  meaning  of  synagogue,  &c.,  here.) 

l^^oieesoo^  as  in  Jn.  xi,  37;  Rev.  xiii,  13.  See  also  Eph.  iii,  11; 
Rev.  i,  60 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


283 


they  come  and  worship  before  thy  feet.”  They  would 
be  so  overcome  by  the  signal  grace  bestowed,  and  be  so 
drawn  to  those  whom  they  had  despised,  that  they 
would  take  the  lowest  place,  would  know  that  Jesus 
loved  them  with  the  love  of  complacency  {eegapeesa)^ 
called  forth  by  their  character,  would  acknowledge  that 
God  was  in  them  of  a truth  (2  Cor.  xiv,  25),  and  would 
recognize  the  love  bestowed  in  the  manifested  life  and 
patience,  and  in  the  signal  success  in  the  work  of  God. 
It  was  the  triumph  of  grace  in  conversions  accomplished 
at  once.  And  it  may  be  that  to  these  Ignatius  referred, 
in  his  Letter  to  the  church  in  Philadelphia,  in  the 
passage  which  implies  the  membership,  in  this  church, 
of  converted  Jews.  And  here,  after  their  conversion, 
they  come  to  the  Church,  as  by  and  by,  so  Prophecy 
proclaims,  the  Gentiles  converted  shall  come  to  Zion,  to 
the  Jews.* 

So  highly  does  Jesus  appreciate  this  ‘‘keeping  of  His 
word”  with  patience,  that  He  makes  a second  promise: 
“because  {hoti)  thou  didst  keep  the  word  of  My  stead- 
fastness, I also  (on  My  side,  the  kai  expressing  reci- 
procity) will  keep  thee”  (5^,  emphatic  and  prominent,) 
“from  {ek)\  tlie  hour  (the  ton  designating  some  special 


[*Jesus  is  here  speaking  not  of  the  Kingdom,  nor  of  what  will 
occur  after  it  is  introduced;  but  of  the  Church.  Hence,  the  refer- 
ence here  to  Is.  xlix,  lx,  is  not  pertinent.  Those  speak  of  G-entiles 
coming  to  Jews,  not  as  here,  of  Jews  coming  to  the  Gentiles.) 

(tif  the  ek  has  here  the  same  meaning  that  it  has  in  vii,  14, 
from,  and  through  the  great  tribulations,”  and  in  John  xvii,  15, 
'‘from  tlie  evil” — and  the  verb  there  is  the  same  as  here — then  the 


284 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS, 


and  signal  period,  as  in  Lk.  xxii,  63;  Is.  xvii,  1,  &c., 
as  distinguished  from  ordinary,)  temptation  [peirasmosy 
test  of  faith  and  obedience,)  which  was  about  to  come 
upon  the  whole  otkoumenees  (either  the  Roman  earth 
or  the  inhabited  globe,)  to  test  them  which  dwell  upon 
the  earth.  And  the  close  connection  of  this  word  with 
‘‘I  come  quickly,’’  points  to  that  “great  tribulation” 
of  which  Jesus  spoke  just  before  His  death  (Matt,  xxiv, 
21),  as  the  period  here  referred  to.  And  the  words, 
“them  that  dwell,”  &c.,  a technical  phrase  quite  often 
found  in  this  book,*  designates  not  so  much  the  mass 
of  mankind  as  in  antithesis  to  believers,  but  that  part 
of  the  race  which,  where  the  Divine  light  has  shone, 
has  resisted  it  and  made  earth  thoroughly  their  home. 
It  is  their  portion,  and  they  want  no  other.  They  are 
of  this  earth,  earthy,  and  a special  class  “of  the  world.” 
For  them  is  this  tribulation.  But  the  faithful  then 
living  shall  also  suffer  in  it  (Matt.  xxiv).  They,  how- 
ever, shall  be  kept  in  and  through  it.  And  while  it 
shall  harden  the  former  class  (ix,  20,  21;xvi,  9,11,  21). 
it  shall  only  bring  out  more  conspicuously  the  fidelity 
of  the  faithful.  And,  in  the  persecutions  which  shortly 

meaning  that  it  has  in  vii,  14,  “out  from,  and  through  the  great 
tribulations,'’  and  in  John  xvii,15,“from  the  evil,”  then  the  meaning 
is,‘  kept  safely  through.”  But  the  force  of  the  promise  seems  to  be. 
not,  saved  through,  but,  delivered  from  the  trial.  And  the  ek  in  ii, 
11;  xviii,  4;  Acts  iv,  29,  &c , shows  clearly  that  the  delivered  need 
not  necessarily  be  participators.) 

(*iii,  13;  vi,  10;  xi^  10;  xiii,  8,  14;  xiv,  6;  xvi,  6.) 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


285 


afterwards  befell  this  church,  it  might  get  a glimpse 
and  taste  of  that  ‘‘great  tribulation’’  just  before  Jesus’ 
coming,  to  which  its  attention  was  now  called. 

“Behold  I come  quickly.”  This  constant  note  of 
warning  to  the  slothful  servants,  wasting  The  Lord’s 
goods,  and  to  those  saying,  The  Lord  delayeth  His 
coming,  is  also  a constant  word  of  support  and  comfort 
to  the  faithful.*  To  them  it  is  a consolation  under 
trial,  and  an  incentive  to  faithfulness.  This  is  its  object 
here.  To  Sardis,  which  had  allowed  the  world  to  have 
The  Lord’s  place  in  the  heart.  He  would  come  as  a 
thief.  To  Philadelphia,  He  would  come  Himself,  as 
one  expected  and  longed  for,  and  having  a crown  to 
give.  This  it  is  that  satisfies  the  heart,  the  coming  of 
The  Lord  as  a present  living  hope.  Thus  He  cheered 
His  poor  Philadelphians:  “I  come.  Hold  that  fast” in 
heart  and  life  “that  which  thou  hast” — the  present  truth, 
the  present  position  and  testimony,  and  the  present 
looking  for  Me.  If  you  let  any  one  take  away  from 
you  the  sense  of  My  coming,  you  let  him  rob  you  of 
association  with  Me.  And  this  is  to  rob  you  of  power, 
of  present  blessing,  and  of  that  which  helps  you  to  get 
the  crown.  This  is  stephanoSy  the  chaplet  of  victory y 
and  also  the  crown  of  a king  in  the  Kingdom  of  the 
[leavens.  It  is  thine,  for  I have  given  it  to  thee.  But 
I \iave  not  yet  come.  Be  on  your  guard  against  losing 
it  in  any  way.  Then  it  will  be  thine  in  possession 
\vbe.\  I come. 

[*Pi].l.  iv,  5;2  Thes.  i,  14,  &c.) 


286 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


r i.  i-u  1.  i ) To  this  church  the  seventh, 
Letter  to  the  church  ( j i ^ t j 

. T > and  last,  Letter  was  addressed, 

m Laodicea.  ( • t a-  x 

) ihis  Laodicea,  tor  six  cities 

bore  this  name,  was  situated  on  the  river  Lycus,  in  the 
south-western  part  of  Phrygia  Major.  This,  its  third 
successive  name,  was  given  it  by  Antiochus  II,  after 
his  wife  Laodicea.  It  stood  in  the  valley  of  the  Meander, 
midway  between  Oolosse  and  Philadelphia,  six  miles 
west  of  ITierapolis,  and  forty  miles  east  of  Ephesus. 
It  was  a celebrated  city,  and  alter  its  conquest  by  Rome 
it  became  a chief  city  of  the  second  class  in  Asia  Minor, 
and  a place  of  great  importance.  It  was  the  capital  of 
a conventus.  It  was  renowned  for  its  medical  schools, 
hot  springs,  line  buildings,  for'the  taste  of  its  citizens 
in  architecture  and  in  the  fine  arts,  and  for  its  literary 
men  of  eminence.  Its  wealth  was  so  great  that  after 
its  total  destruction  by  an  earthquake  during  the  reign 
of  Nero  (A.  D.  62),  it  was  speedily  rebuilt  by  its  own 
citizens,  without  any  aid  from  abroad. 

Years  after  John’s  day  the  city  continued  a place  of 
eminence,  and  its  church  in  (outwardly)  a flourishing 
condition.  It  had  been  planted  by  converts,  perhaps, 
or  laborers  from  Ephesus,  during  Paul’s  stay  there.  It 
had  received  from  him  a Letter,  and  afterwards  a most 
aftectionate  message  (Ool.  ii,  1;  iv,  13,  16).  For  it  he 
had  fought  a great  fight.  From  it,  so  the  Letter’s  post- 
note says,  he  had  sent  his  first  letter  to  Timothy,  City 
and  church  later  on  were  often  mentioned  by  Byzantine 
writers  as  possessed  of  metropolitan  dignity  as  the  seat 


LAODICEA. 


HOLT  LETTERS.  287 

of  a bishop,  and  meeting  place  of  Councils;  in  one  of 
wl)ich  (that  of  A.  D.  301),  the  canon  of  Scripture  was 
finally  settled.  But  the  end  came.  City  and  church 
were  destroyed  by  the  followers  of  Mohamet.  The  site 
of  the  former  is  a melancholy  desolation.  All  that  the 
city  can  show  for  its  former  magnificance  is  ruins.  And 
of  the  church  not  a vestige  is  left — sad  consequence  of  its 
being  where  it  had  to  be  rejected  and  abandoned  of  God. 

This  was  the  church  which  now  received  from  Jesus 
this  severe  Letter.  To  it,  He  introduced  Himself  under 
a very  remarkable  character.  In  the  first  three  Letters 
He  repeats  certain  characteristics  by  which  He  had 
introduced  Himself  to  John.  In  the  next  three,  and  so 
now,  He  passes  those  by  and  gives  a revelation  of 
Himself  suited  to  the  character  of  the  church — a fact 
which  suggests  that  these  churches  more  fully,  typically, 
show  forth  <Hhe  things  that  are,”  towards  the  close  of 
the  history  of  that  period:  more  about  which  further  on. 
And  these  designations,  as  the  whole  tone  of  this  Letter, 
are  in  striking  contrast  with  those  of  the  first  three 
Letters,  and  portentously  significant. 

‘‘These  things  saith  The  Amen,  the  faithful  and  true 
Witness,  The  Beginning  of  the  creation  of  God.”  The 
“Amen,”  so  often  used  adverbially,  is  here,  only,  a 
proper  name.  The  word  means  “firm,”  verity  and 
truth  * It  is  the  perpetual  and  complete  personal 

[^Is.  vii,  9.  Heb. : “If  ye  will  not  amen  (E.  V.,  believe,)  ye 
shall  not  be  aniened”  (E,V.,  established),  i.e.^  if  you  will  not  confirm 
My  promises,  you  shall  not  be  confirmed.) 


288 


THi3  HOLY  LETTER^. 


confirmation  of  the  veracity  of  God(Is.lxv,16,J7’^5.;  E.Y., 
‘‘truth.”)  It  was  constantly  upon  the  lips  of  Jesus,  (in 
the  E.  Y.,  “verily”),  an  expression  from  the  depths  of 
His  own  consciousness,  which  gives  the  stamp  of  the  ab- 
solute certainty  of  the  fulfillment  of  every  word,  whether 
of  promise  or  threatening  (2  Cor.  i,  20).  It  points,  not 
so  much  to  the  dignity  of  His  Person  as  to  His  character 
as  the  faithful  and  essentially  true,  the  real  historical 
Witness  (i,  5).  In  Him  alone  all  the  conditions,  in 
perfect  degree,  of  a witness  meet.  He  is,  hence,  fully 
competent  to  testify;  and  being  all  truthfulness,  He  is 
worthy  of  the  fullest  confidence.  To  this  designation 
He  adds  a characteristic  which  seems  to  have  no  connec- 
tion with  it:  “The  Beginning  of  the  creation  of  God.” 
Peter’s  use  of  this  phrase  once  (2  Epis.  iii,  4),  and  Jesus’ 
use  twice,  while  on  earth  (Mk.x,6;  xiii,19),  to  designate 
the  commencement  of  the  physical  creation,  might  settle 
its  use  here.*  But  the  archee^  hegmning^  here  must 
be  understood  in  the  light  of  Jesus’  own  self-designa- 
tion, Alpha^  The  First.  The  Alpha,  He  is  The  Begin- 
ning, and  so  beginning  of  creation,  The  Source  of  being; 
the  living  Personal  Fountain  Head  from  which  it  began, 
and  by  which  it  is  conditioned.  And  hence  every 
creature  in  the  inmost  recesses  of  his  being,  his  whole 
personal  state  and  condition  is  most  thoroughly  known 
to  Him. 

[*Tlie  word,  archee,  beginning^  does  signify  in  a few  places 
rulership  (Lk.  xii,  11;  xx,  20;  Rom.  viii,  38;  1 Cor.  xv,  24;  Eph.  i, 
21;  iii.  10;  vi,  12;  Tit.  iii,  1;  Jude,  6, “first  estate”)-  But  the  almost 
invariable  meaning  is  that  of  commencement  or  beginning.  In 
Gen.  xlix,  3,  it  designates  the  first,  or  highest  and  best  of  creatures.) 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


289 


And  this  conjunction  is  most  profoundly  suggestive. 
The  guarantee  of  faithfulness  in^*Faithful  Witness,”  had 
been  given  for  their  consolation,  to  those  ready  to 
despair  in  the  sight  of  a hostile  and  powerful  world  (i, 
6).  That  surely  would  be  enough  to  show  the  certainty 
of  the  condemning  testimony  which  Jesus  was  about  to 
give  to  a faithless  church.  Why,  then,  does  He  add  to 
this, ‘‘The  Amen,”  and  “The  Beginning  of  the  creation?” 
This  conjunction  points  out,  what  the  Letter  shows, 
the  total  failure  of  the  church  as  a visible  organization 
in  the  place  of  testimony,  as  it  respects  its  position  in 
the  world.  These  appellatives  say  that  it  had  not  stood 
in  its  original  relation  to  Jesus,  had  lost  its  candlestick 
character  and  position,  had  ceased  to  be  an  epistle  of 
Christ  known  and  read  of  all  men,  no  longer  answered 
God’s  purpose  as  His  church  in  the  world,  no  longer  was 
a faithful  and  true  witness,  and  that,  as  a vessel  of  testi- 
mony for  God  it  was  about  to  be  set  aside.  Let  one  fact 
suffice.  The  Church  will  have  a place  in  the  fulness  of 
the  restored  creation.  And  it  has  its  place  with,  along 
with  other  objects,  this  end  in  view:  “of  His  own  will 
begat  He  us  by  the  word  of  truth,  ets  tOy  to  this,  that 
we  should  be  certain  (tma)  first  fruits  of  His  creatures 
(Jas.  i,  18).  We  can  be  such  only  by  having  the  first 
fruits  of  The  Spirit  (Eom.  viii,  23).  The  fruit  of  The 
Spirit  is  given  in  Gal.  v,  22,  23.  No  such  fruit  appears 
in  this  church.  In  this  fruit-bearing  it  has  lamentably 
and  utterly  failed ; and  so  failed  of  being  a kind  of  first- 
fruits  of  His  creatures.  It  did  not  hold  a place  above 


290 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


the  present  state  of  creation  or  above  the  world  around 
it.  The  two  understood  each  other.  There  was  nothinor 
in  it  to  provoke  the  world  to  hostility.  The  world  did 
not  persecute  it.  It  had  no  burden  to  be  borne.  It 
ran  in  the  world^s  race  after  the  world^s  things,  and 
hence  could  give  no  testimony  to  it  of  the  power  of 
Jesus  to  save  from  it,  or  to  its  doom.  It  had  been 
faithless.  Its  testimony  was  false.  And  therefore 
Jesus  announces,  in  the  three  designations  which  He 
gives  Himself,  that,  because  of  the  churches  failure.  He 
is  about  to  take  the  place  of  full  and  perfect  testimony 
for  God,  about  to  accomplish  those  Divine  purposes  of 
which  the  church  should  have  been  the  unmistakable 
manifestation. 

Having  introduced  Himself  He  went  on,  I know 
thy  works  thsit  (hoti)* — and,  the  value  of  them  as  testi- 
mony being  decided  by  the  character  of  those  doing 
them,  they  all  show  that — ‘‘thou  art  neither  cold  nor 
hot.”  Thou  art  not  cold,  {jpsuchros^  used  here  as  in 
classic  Greek,  metaphorically.)  Thou  art  not  destitute 
of  all  life  toward  Me,  nor,  like  the  world  around,  a 
stranger  to  grace.  Neither  art  thou  hot,  (zestosy  boiling 
hot)  Not  all  heated  through  as  to  Me,not  fervent. Then 
with  a fulness  of  sadness  breathed  out  in  the  deep  sigh, 
“I  would,”  a sigh  which  we  can  almost  hear,  and  which 
expresses  the  hopelessness  of  despair.  He  exclaimed,  “I 

[*The  construction  is  the  same  as  in  vs.  1.) 

[■\Zeoony  pres,  par.,  from  zeooy  the  verb  from  which  comes  the 
word,  zestosy  Tiot.) 


tHE  HOtY  LETTERS. 


291 


would  that  thou  wert  either  cold  or  hot:”  ^^cold,”  z.  e.^ 
had  never  professed  to  be  mine,  had  never  given  out 
that  you  were  a witness  of  Mine;  or,  so  wanting  all  heat 
as  to  feel  your  need  of  it;  or  ‘‘hot,”  i,  fervent,  glow- 
ing. This  manifestation  would  make  the  world  see  the 
reality  of  Divine  life  and  love,  and  constrain  it  to  rec- 
ognize you  as  a witness  for  God. 

To  understand  this,  remember  that  this  church  was 
not  in  any  transitional  stage  from  indifference  to 
interest,  but  the  opposite.  Its  members  had  professed 
to  have  passed  from  death  to  life.  They  knew,  theoreti- 
cally, what  this  holy  fervor  was.  And  if  they  knew  it 
really,  there  had  been  a subsidence.  Ephesus  had  left  its 
first,  but  not  all  its,  love,  was  not  indifferent  to  Jesus, 
Its  love  was  energetic  enough  to  inspire  it  with  hatred 
to  what  J esus  hated,  and  to  keep  it  tar  from  the  Sardian 
state.  But  here  was  no  love.  Jesus’  name  was  a 
symbol  only.  The  church  did  not  reject,  but  it  did  not 
regard.  Him.  No  gross  sins,  no  positive  doctrinal 
errors  are  alledged  of  it.  But  there  was  that  entire  in- 
difference, that  subtle  wickedness,  which,  free  from 
previous  blemishes  and  shocking  appearances,  is,  while 
professing  Jesus’  name,  perfectly  regardless  of  Him,  and 
just  lets  Him,  His  truth  and  His  salvation  alone. 

This  position  is  unphilosophic  and  absurd.  It  is 
daring  presumption,  hypocrisy,  pride  and  self-flattery. 
It  is  a solecism.  It  is  a burlesque  upon  Christianity.  If 
one  is  “cold,”  being  outside,  or  if  one  rejects  Jesus  as  a 
fraud,  one  can  understand  him.  So,too,him  who  is  glow- 


292 


I’Hfi  HOLY  LETTERS. 


ing  with  love  to  Him.  But  to  be  for  Him,  yet  against 
Him,  this  is  shocking.  Either  for  or  against  is  better. 
Either  cold  or  hot  would  be  a plainly  marked  and 
intelligible  condition.  Either  would  be  free  from  the 
position  and  imputation  of  mixed  motive  and  disre- 
garded principle.  With  either,  the  profession  and 
practice  would  be  in  harmony.  Honesty  and  sincerity 
in  the  wrong  are  nobler  far  than  the  profession  of 
great  principles  allied  with  the  moral  cowardice  that 
does  not  carry  them  out.  But  those  are  neither  cold 
not  hot,  but  lukewarm.  There  are  listless  and  careless 
professors  of  the  truth  and  faith  of  God.  There  is  a 
relative  lukewarmness,  which  is  most  painfully  felt  by 
true  believers,  as  they  compare  their  state  with  the 
glowing  zeal  which  has  burned  in  the  heart  and  flamed 
forth  in  the  life  of  so  many  of  the  saints  and  servants 
of  God.  But  this  lukewarmness  differs  from  both 
these.  Unlike  them,  it  calls  forth  neither  commenda- 
tion nor  help,  but  indignation  and  disgust.  It,  like 
tepid  water,  nauseates.  It  is  the  indifference  of  the 
heart  to  the  truth  which  has  been  brought  to  it,  which 
^in  pretense  it  receives,  but  whose  ascendency  it  will  not 
^'llow:  especially  to  those  parts  which  are  flesh-cutting, 
^d  which  call  for  a vital  abiding  in  Christ,  separation 
from  the  world,  and  living  unto  God.  It  is  Latitudinari- 
anisin;  sometimes  in  doctrine,  sometimes  in  life,  but 
mostly  in  both.  It  will  give  money,  but  not  the  heart. 
It  is  stereotyped  self-satisfying  mediocrity  in  the  truths 
of  God,  that  dull  and  insipid  condition  which  contents 


THE  HOLY  LETTEKS. 


293 


itself  wftli  pointless  pious  platitudes,  respectable 
commonplace,  that  selvedge  of  religion  which  is  con- 
tented w|th  forms,  approves  the  stupidity  of  dull  sermons 
and  dul%i-  prayers,  and  lifeless  Lord’s  Suppers,  and 
severely  Condemns  all  the  fervor  of  faith  and  fire  of 
The  Spirit  as  fanaticism.  If  it  must  have  the  religion 
of  Jesus,  it  will  have  it  only  as  a soporific  for  the 
conscience.  And  it  demands  that  adjustment  of 
doctrines  and  order  of  services  that  will  make  it  popu- 
lar with  the  world,  or  that  will  not  at  least  arouse  its 
hostility. 

But  this  is  dishonesty  of  the  worst  kind.  For  it  is 
dishonesty  to  God  and  His  truth,  to  the  position  in 
which  the  Church  was  placed,  and  to  man  and  his  wel- 
fare. Gf  all  moral  diseases,  it  is  worse  than  Balaamism, 
Nicolaitanism,  and  Jezebelism.  These  called  forth 
severe  judgments.  But  these  did  not  give  Jesus 
nausea.  He  could  not  allow  such  a plague-spot  to  be  in 
His  outward  Church  even, without  clearing  Himself  of  all 
responsibility.  Even  for  debassed  and  dead  Sardis  He 
had  a word  of  kindly  remonstrance  and  admonition, 
and  brought  before  it  the  fact  of  His  coming.  But  He 
does  not  even  allude  to  this  fact  here.  The  Laodi- 
cean church  never  thinks  about  Jesus’  coming  at  all. 
It  does  not  care  enough  about  Him  to  bother  its  head 
about  it.  It  had  no  objections  to  the  abstract  notion 
of  His  return  to  earth  in  the  distant  future,  say  after 
the  Millennium,  but  as  a present  living  hope  to  be 
.cherished  day  by  day,  this  is  nonsense  of  the  extremest 


294 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


character.  This  is  pernicious.  This  is  believed  by 
none  of  the  rulers  of  synagogue  or  Sanhedrim  (Jn.  vii, 
47)!  by  none  of  the  respectability!!  by  none  but  relig- 
ious cranks!!!  Well,  it  should  be  remembered  that  Jesus 
Himself  did  not  allude  to  this  subject  to  the  Laodicean 
cdiurch  of  old.  Is  it  not  wise,  then,  for  those  whom 
He,  by  His  Spirit  through  His  word,  has  taught  this 
truth,  not  to  allude  to  it  to  the  Laodicean  church  of 
the  present  day? 

But,  to  repeat,  it  was  the  only  church  of  the  seven 
with  which  Jesus  was  nauseated.  What  a condition  to 
be  in!  It  was  past  being  used  as  a vessel  of  testimony 
for  God.  Not  judgment  merely,  but  rejection  with  in- 
dignation and  disgust.  ‘H,”  not  thelloo^  will^  but, 
melloo^  am  about  to  spew  thee  (the  church  as  a visible 
organization,)  ‘‘out  of  My  mouth,”  as  the  land  spewed 
out  its  guilty  inhabitants  (Lev.  xviii,  26,  28;  xx,  22). 
A most  expressive  metaphor  to  show  utter  rejection^ 
because  of  repulsive  character.  This  once  only,  was 
this  word  on  Jesus  lips.  It  was  spoken  by  Him,  as 
Creator,  and  true  Witness,  and  Founder  of  the  Church, 
and  as  in  relations  to  it  superior  to  all  the  relations  of 
men.  And  it  was  spoken  to  the  reality  of  things,  to 
the  needs  of  the  church  addressed.  No  other  church 
received  such  an  expression  of  disgust.  Upon  no  oth- 
er church  was  poured  forth  such  strong  indignation. 
Nor  is  there  anything  like  it  in  all  that  He  spoke 
aD;ainst  Fhariseeism.* 


[*The  Church,  as  an  outward  organization  in  the  place  of  tegti- 


THE  HOLT  LETTERS. 


295 


This  lukewarmness  generated,  and  was  nourished  by, 
that  fatal  self-sufficiency,  self-satislaction  and  high- 
minded  conceit  which  made  this  church  blind  to,  and  so 
unconscious  of,  its  needs.  Of  these,  Jesus  now  speaks. 
‘^Because*  thou  sayest,  (such  is  your  talk,)  ‘ J am  rich^ 
(the  fact),  I am  become  rich  (the  process  by  which  it 
becomes  so),  I have  need  of  nothing.’’  The  verb  sliows 
that  the  riches  are  material.f  The  members  were  out- 
wardly prosperous  and  wealthy,  not  by  inheritance,  but 
by  their  own  efforts.  Out  of  this  grew  the  idea  of  the 
possession  of  spiritual  riches,  not  excluding  learning 

and  intellectualism.  Havinor  abundant  resources  to 

o 

obtain  what  it  demanded,  having  all  the  forms  and  or- 
dinances, and  an  intellectual  knowledcre  of  God  and 
His  truth,  and  having  an  internal  and  external  peace, 
which  was  but  a spiritual  stagnation,  the  church  could 
say,  ‘‘I  am  rich,”  i,  independently,  and  by  my  own 
efforts.  I have  in  myself  the  riches.  ‘‘I  am  become 
rich.”  It  is  an  accomplished  fact,  and  will  so  continue. 
“I  have  need  of  nothing:”  no  grace,  guidance  or  gifts 
from  Jesus,  no  supports,  earthly  or  heavenly.  It  puts 

mony  and  responsibility,  must  be  carefully  distinguished  both 
from  the“one  body’Vitally  united  to  Jesus,  and  from  those  individ- 
ual members  which  belong  to  this  one  body.  Of  neither  it  nor 
them  does  Jesus  speak  this  terrible  word.] 

It  forms  the  reason  for  the  “I  come,”  which  follows. 
This  verse  is  a premise,  of  which  the  next  verse  is  the  conclusion.] 
[tThat  is  its  exclusive  use  in  classic  Greek.  And  in  the  N.  T.> 
the  phrases,  ‘-rich  toward  God”  (Lk.  xii,  21),  and  “rich  in  good 
works”  (Tim.  vi,  18),  both  referring  to  moral  riches,  rest  upon  the 
inatenal  riches  spoken  of  in  the  two  contexts, ; 


296 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


not  its  ^^Amen”  to  the  promises  of  God  in  Christ.  It 
makes  a boast  of  its  own  resources.  Though  pretend- 
ing  to  honor  Jesus,  it  is  looking  at  itself,  not  Him. 
And  what  is  this  but  the  self- exaltation  and  self-exulta- 
tion of,  ^‘is  not  this  the  great  Babylon  which  I have 
built  for  my  glory?’’ 

The  church  had  money,  learning,  influence,  was  go- 
ing on  in  outward  comfort  and  worldliness,  and  at  the 
same  time  was  making  a boast  of  its  riches,  material 
and  spiritual.  But  the  last  was  a baseless  Action,  an 
imaginary  exaltation  resting  upon  an  imaginary  omni- 
science. More,  it  was  a complete  caricature  of  the  bless- 
edness of  true  faith,  a travesty  on  the  truth  of  God. 
Thou  sayest  thou  art  rich,  and  become  rich;  thou  knowest 
not  that  thou  {su^  emphatic,  thou  of  all  others,)  art  the 
(A<9,  the^  as  distinguished  above  all  others,)  wretched 
and  the  miserable  {eleinos^  to  be  pitied,)  one:”  wretched, 
because  of  your  condition ; to  be  pitied,  because  about 
to  be  cast  out  with  loathing  from  your  exalted  position 
as  a vessel  of  testimony  for  God.  Thou  sayest  thou 
hast  need  of  nothing.  Thou  knowest  not  that  thou  art 
‘^poor,”  in  the  true  riches,  ^‘blind”  as  to  your  own  true 
condition,  and  as  to  the  truth  and  knowledge  of  God, 
“and  naked,”  in  having  no  garment  which  is  approved 
of  God.  Self- blinding,  deplorable  and  aggravated  igno- 
rance, this,  over  against  the  supposed  possession  of  great 
riches  and  varied  knowledge! 

Over  against  your  fancies  these  are  the  facts.  Three 
things  are  indispensable  to  your  preservation.  You 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


297 


have  them  not.  “I  counsel  you,  &c.”  You  said  you  need 
nothing,  but  you  need  counsel.  Then  to  this  church, 
whose  wealth  was  made  by  traffic,  and  which  He  had  just 
said  was  poor,  Jesus,  in  the  terms  of  trade,  says,  ^‘buy 
(and  the  what  shows  the  meaning  of  the  term.  Is.  Iv,!,) 
of  Me,  of  whom  you  think  little,  but  from  whom  alone 
you  can  get  them  (Col.  ii,  3), “gold  tried  in  the  fire” — 
fresh  from  the  furnace,  so  free  from  every  foreign  sub- 
stance, new  and  bright:  symbol  of  Divine  righteousness, 
that  by  which  a man  is  justified  before  God.  Buy  this 
that  by  the  purchase  “thou  mayest  have  become  rich.” 
This,  in  contrast  with  the  imaginary  riches  which  you 
have  counted,  will  be  sterling,and  of  abiding  value.  And 
this  you  can  obtain  only  at  the  cost  of  all  fancied  right- 
eousness of  your  own  (Phil,  iii,  6-8).  Buy,  also,  “white 
garments.”  This  is  the  righteousness  of  saints  (xix,  8). 
It  is  the  works  of  saints,  the  fruits  of  believing,  in  and 
coming  from  a heart,  set  free  by,  and  so  consequent  upon 
the  possession  of.  Divine  righteousness.  And  these 
saintly  works,  the  fruits  of  The  Spirit  in  us,  with  their 
manifestation  in  good  works  in  the  life,  must  not  be 
confounded  with  human  righteousness.  The  former  is  of 
God.  Buy  this,  that  thou  mayest  be  clothed,  and  that 
the  shame  ot  thy  nakedness  be  not  made  manifested. 

Having  thus  counselled  concerning  the  poverty,  na- 
kedness and  need,  Jesus  counsels  concerning  the  bless- 
edness; buy  eye-salve  [kol/urton)^^  to  anoint  thine 

[*The  collyrium,  so-called  from  its  shape,  was  a stick  or  roll  of 
ointment  for  the  eyes,  in  the  shape  of  a bread* cake  (2  Kg.  vi,  19, 
LXX).  The  verb,  eachrioo,  appears  to  have  been  the  common  tech- 
nical word  for  anointing  the  eyes.] 


298 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


(inner)  eye  that  thou  mayest  see.”  The  church  was 
saying,  «we  see,’^  and  therefore  their  sin  remained  (Jn. 
ix,  41).  Yet  they  were  blind  as  to  the  things  of  God. 
They  had  no  spiritual  discernment.  Hence,  they  saw 
not  their  need  of  Divine  righteousness,  or  of  that  of 
the  saints.  They  were  in  the  blindness  of  nature. 
They  needed  everything.  And  Jesus  now  counsels 
them  to  obtain,  at  the  expense  of  the  surrender  of  their 
own  fancied  wisdom,  the  anointing,  for  illumination,  of 
The  Spirit. 

To  the  church  filled  with  pride  and  self-sufficiency, 
these  words  must  have  sounded  very  severe,  and  the 
word  of  rejection  as  unjust  as  it  was  awful.  They 
would  import  to  them  in  their  then  state  of  mind  that 
Jesus  did  not  care  anything  about  them.  Such  a 
thought  would  be  met  by  His  next  word.  In  opposi- 
tion to  the  loose  and  anti-personal  nature  of  Indifferent- 
ism  which  perverts  love  into  laxity,  and  sunders  love 
from  true  and  right  severity,  Jesus  says:  “as  many  as  I 
love  (^philoo\^  I rebuke  {elegchoo)^  and  chasten 
deuoo).^  This  must  be  so  from  His  character  as  the 

[♦In  vs.  9 the  verb  is,  agapaoo.  See  pp.  . See,  also.  Holy 
Res.,  pp.  104-106,  for  remarks  upon  the  difference  in  the  meaning 
of  the  two  verbs.] 

[fThe  verb,  elegchoo^  expresses  the  action  of  the  agent,  not  the 
effect  of  that  action  upon  the  object.  The  intention  being  through 
the  story  of  the  wrong  to  awaken  the  sense  of  shame,  and  to  effect 
that  conviction  which,  as  completed  self-judgment,  will  end  in  re- 
pentance and  confession,  or  will  leave  the  person  without  excuse. 
(2  Sam.  xii,  13;  Jn.  viii,  46;  xvi,  8;  1 Cor.  xiv,  24;  Eph.  v,  11,  13; 
1 Tim.  V,  20;  2 Tim.iv,  2;  Tit.  i,  9, 13;  ii,15;  Heb.  xii,  6;  Jas.  ii,  9).] 

\XPaidm>og  signifies  to  educate  in  Divine  things  by  all  the  in- 


THE  HOLY  LETTERS. 


299 


faithful  and  true  Witness.  His  truth  must  always, 
when  it  encounters  falsehood  or  deceit,  turn  to  rebuke. 
And  this  rebuke  and  chastening  are  signal  proof  that 
the  church  is  not  yet  disowned.  And  far  better  is  it  to 
be  chastened  and  restored  than  to  be  abandoned  (Ps. 
Ixxiii,  6,  12;  Hos.  iv,  17).  Instead,  therefore,  of  being 
lukewarm,  ^‘be  zealous,  therefore  {oun)^^^  earnest,  ardent, 
strenuous,  not  spasmodically,  but  continually — the  idea 
brought  out  in  the  present  tense,  zeeleue.  And  let 
this  zeal  exercise  itself  in  true  repentance.  This  is  the 
fourth  church  called  on  to  repent:  Ephesus,  of  having 
fallen  from  first  love  (ii,  5);  Pergamum,  for  allowing 
Nicolai taiiism  (ii,  16);  Sardis,  for  being  contented  with 
a name  to  live  (iii,  3);  and  Laodicea,  here.  In  each 
case  the  peculiar  form  of  repentance  corresponds  with 
the  peculiar  species  of  sinfulness.  Here,  the  spiritual 
sensibilities  and  moral  freedom  were  paralyzed,  the 
sense  of  moral  greatness  and  responsibility  was  obscured, 
the  candlestick  character  was  almost  gone.  This 
church,  powerful  and  infiuential  externally,  and  self- 
satisfied,  was  poverty-stricken.  It  was  called  upon  to 
repent,  to  change  mind  and  heart  as  to  its  own  condi- 

struments  used  in  the  training  and  discipline  of  love.  Correction 
is  not  always  contemplated  (Lk.  xxiii,  10,  perhaps  1 Tim.  i,  20), 
nor  castigation  always  implied  (Acts  vii,  22;  xxii,  3;  2 Tim.  ii,  25; 
Tit.  ii,  12;  and  the  noun  in  Rom.  ii,  20;  Eph.  vi,  4;  2 Tim.  iii,  16). 
In  only  three  independent  passages  is  the  meaning  specifically 
limited  to  training  by  castigation  (1  Cor.  xi,  32;  2 Cor.  vi,  9;  Heb. 
xii,  5-10;  perhaps,  also,  1 Tim.i,  20).  In  seven  places  this  specific 
meaning  is  included  by  the  context  In  one  passage  chastisement 
is  excluded.) 


300 


THE  HOLT  LETTERS. 


tion,  SO  that  it  could  see  its  own  poverty  and  naked- 
ness, and  to  pass  from  lukewarmness  to  boiling  heat. 
Be  zealous  to  get  right  with  God. 

An  urgent  call  and  right,  but  ineftectual.  The 
church  thought  it  knew  better  how  to  live  and  how  to 
manage  its  own  affairs  than  Jesus  did.  And  this  call 
was  disregarded.  In  fact,  the  whole  Letter  seems  to 
have  made  no  impression  for  good.  For  Jesus’  next 
word  shows  Him  no  longer  inside  of  the  Laodicean 
church,  but  outside:  ‘‘behold  I stand  {esteekea^  1 place 
Myself,)  at  the  door,  and  knock.”  In  every  passage 
where  thura^  door^  is  used  metaphorically,  the  implica- 
tion is  that  of  an  enclosure,  and  of  persons  within  and, 
or,  without.  And  in  no  case  is  it  used  of  a part  of  a 
person,  as  say,  “door  of  the  heart”  All  critical  com- 
ments refer  to  Cant,  v,  2 sq.  And  there  there  is  a 
garden,  one  person  within,  and  one  without  In  what 
is  clearly  a parallel  passage,  the  persons  addressed  are 
called  brethren,  and  “the  Judge  standeth  at  the  door” 
(Jas.  V,  9).  Nor  is  the  verb,  “knocketh,”  ever  used  of 
“knocking  at  the  heart”  Nor  are  the  words  addressed 
to  the  world,  but  are  in  a Letter  to  a church.  When  Jesus 
addressed  men  as  to  salvation.  He  said,  “I  (none  other) 
am  the  {i.  e.^  only,)  door,  by  Me  if  any  man  enter  in  he 
shall  be  saved  (Jn.  x,  9).  But  here.  He  is  not,  but 
stands  at,  the  door.  Nor  is  it,  one  entering  in  by  Him, 
but  He  Himself  entering  in  to  one.  Nor  is  it,  ‘die 
shall  be  saved,”  but  “he  shall  sup,”  i,  6.,  enjoy  fellow- 
ship and  communion.  And  this  shows  that  the  one 


THE  HOLY  LETTEK8. 


301 

responding  is  already  a saved  man.  Nor  does  He  en- 
ter into  the  man,  but  ‘‘in  unto”  (pros)  him,  to  where 
he  is.  And  this  place  is,  and  can  be  nowhere  else  than 
the  (Laodicean)  church.  And  this  shows  that  He  was 
outside.  He  whose  true  place  was  within,  was  forced 
by  the  churches  condition  to  go  out.  It  was  a dishonor- 
ed and  disowned  thing.  In  name,  and  name  only,  was 
it  a church  of  Jesus  Christ.  What  an  appalling  posi- 
tion! Great  and  flourishing^  yet  disowned!  Exalted 
among  churches,  yet  how  fallen!  Meeting,  and  carrying 
on  all  the  institutions  and  ordinances  ot  the  Church,  in 
His  name,  but  He  not  there!  While  He  sojourned  on 
earth,  the  Theocracy  had  no  Hrim,  no  Thummim,  no 
Shekinah,  but  this  church  (when  verse  20  became  a 
reality,)  had  no  true  Christ!  Christianity  in  the  church, 
and  Christ  outside! 

But  though  the  condition  of  the  church  constrained 
Jesus  to  take  His  place  outside,  there  were  those  with- 
in, perhaps,  whose  heart  was  not  occupied  with  the  per- 
sons and  things  around,  and  whose  ear  was  open  to  His 
voice.  If  any  such  were,  them  He  addressed:  “behold” 
(an  exclamation  which  calls  attention  to  the  sad  fact  that 
He  is  outside),  “I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock.”  A 
vivid  bringing  home  to  the  lukewarm  church  the  truth 
of  His  Person  so  much  forgotten.  This  shows  that  He 
seeks  admittance.  From  whom'«  The  church?  No. 
The  any  one  (tis)  who  hears  His  voice;  bears  the  inward 
appeal,  the  speaking  directly  by  His  Spirit  to  the  inner 
man;  who  hears  His  voice  with  joy,  the  joy  that  res- 


302 


OCHB  HOLT  LETTBRB. 


ponds  to:  “My  sheep  hear  My  voice.”  “If  any  one  hear 
My  voice  and  open  the  door  (this  implies  personal  lib- 
erty and  responsibility),  I will  come  in  unto  him,  and 
will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  Me.”  Even  in  the  re- 
jected church  saints  may  be  found.  And  if  when  Je- 
sus knocks  they  open  to  Him,  they  personally  (for  it  is 
now  the  question,  not  of  the  church,  but  individuals), 
shall  have  fellowship  with  Him.  They  shall  be  the 
guests  and  Jesus  the  Host.  They  shall  know  the  bles- 
sedness of  the  Divine  reciprocations. 

An  analysis  of  these  Letters,  their  relation  to  the 
Church  during  the  absence  of  Jesus,  and  their  connec- 
tion with  the  facts  immediately  connected  with  His 
Retnrn,  will  be  found  in  Holy  Return  (A).  Meanwhile 
may  supreme  affection  be  given  to  Him,  and  may  we  be 
found  among  those  who,  with  girded  loins  and  longing 
hearts  and  open  eyes,  are  watching  and  waiting  for 
their  returning  Lord. 


V 


